UEFA Champions League 2021/22: The stats behind Liverpool’s comeback vs AC Milan – data analysis | OneFootball

Liverpool hosted old rivals AC Milan at Anfield on the opening day of the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 season. The match ended 3-2 in the favour of the home team in a very exciting game.  Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz scored two quick goals for AC Milan late in the second half, after an own goal from Tomori had given Liverpool the lead. Salah and Henderson scored for Liverpool in the second half for a 3-2 victory.

We’ve broken down all the key stats for you to digest, including;

* shot maps

* xT (expected threat)

* pass networks

* xG timelines

* defensive duels

* average positions and much more!

We also try to answer some questions for you with the visuals;

Which Liverpool player received the most number of passes? Which Milan player had the most xT creation?

To navigate the stats gallery simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.

At the end of the gallery, you’ll be able to download the full PDF stats report.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool started in a 4-3-3 formation with Dirock Origi in the centre of the attack, with Diego Jota on the left and Mohamed Salah on the right. The midfield had Fabinho in the centre, with Naby Keita on the left and Jordan Henderson on the right. The back four consisted of left-back Robertson, centre backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, and right back Alexander-Arnold. Alisson started in goal for the Reds.The average position of Liverpool players showed that they were in advanced positions in the game, mostly because of their high pressing. They had a lot of attacks in the game and scored three goals.

AC Milan were lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Ante Rebic leading the line ahead of three attacking midfielders Rafael Leao, Brahim Diaz and Alexis Saelemaekers. Frank Kessie and Bennacer were the two holding midfielders ahead of the back four consisting of right-back Davide Calabria, centre backs Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori, and left-back Theo Hernandez. Mike Maignan started in goal for the Italian giants.

The average positions of the Milan players showed that they were mostly in defensive positions, waiting for the right moments to produce counterattacks.

Liverpool had an xG of 2.73 with 22 shots on goal, out of which eight shots were on target. They scored three goals in the match. Milan had an xG of 1.53, with a total of six shots, three on target scoring two goals. Liverpool had 60% of the possession in the match. Mo Salah had an xG of 1.52, which was the highest in the game. Brahim Diaz had the highest xG among Milan players. Salah took five shots in the match, while Rafael Leao had eight successful dribbles. Fabinho had the most passes in the final third.Liverpool’s shot map shows that they took a lot of their shots from the 22 from outside the box and had a few from outside the box as well. The high number of shots meant they had a high xG in the game, and three goals to show for it.AC Milan took only a few shots in the game, most of which were from inside the box. They had a decent xG and two goals in the match.

The xT creation timeline shows that Liverpool had a decent threat in the first half and in the beginning of the second half. Milan had a few spells of decent threat in the game. The xG timeline shows that the visitors AC Milan had a sudden increase in xG with two goals towards the end of the first half. Liverpool had a high xG throughout the game.

The pass matrix of the home team shows that they had a large part of the possession and accumulated a decent number of passes. Joe Gomez had the highest number of passes received for them with 61.

AC Milan also had a decent possession and a few passes in the match at Anfield. Their highest number of passes received were by the defenders Kjaer with 38 and Tomori with 35.

The passing zones of Liverpool show that they completed a lot of passes in the midfield, and a decent number of passes in the two wings as well. Robertson and Henderson both had a few passes into the opposition box.

The pass zones of AC Milan show that they did most of their passing in defence, with a decent number of passes in midfield as well. Brahim Diaz had the most passes into the opposition box.

The xT creation zones of Liverpool show that they created a lot of threat in attacking positions in midfield and on the wings. Fabinho had the highest xT among the Liverpool players.

Fabinho and Jordan Henderson had the highest xT from passing for the Reds. Matip had the highest xT from the successful dribbles in the match.

The xT creation zones of AC Milan show that they created a decent threat from attacking positions, with a lot from the left side of attack. Tomori and Theo Hernande had high xT from passing.Brahim Diaz and Fikayo Tomori had decent xT from passing, with Theo Hernandez being the highest. Rafael Leao had the highest xT from dribbling.

Liverpool faced a decent amount of defensive duels in midfield, with a lot of them on the right side of defence. Fabinho won the most defensive duels for The Reds at Anfield.

Liverpool did not have to face a large number of aerial duels in the match. Out of the few, Joel Matip won the highest aerial duels with six.

The loose ball recoveries made by The Reds in the match were mostly on the left side of attack. Fabinho once again won the most loose ball recoveries for them.

AC Milan had to face a large number of defensive duels in the defensive areas. Theo Hernandez won the most defensive duels for the visitors, and Tomori also won three.

There were only a few aerial duels which Milan had to face in the defensive areas. Kjaer won the most aerial duels by winning three of them.

Milan made multiple loose ball recoveries all over the pitch in the game, with most of their players winning one or two loose balls for the team.

It was a big game to kickstart the new UEFA Champions League season for both team, and Liverpool will be happy to come away with a win and three points. AC Milan will not be happy with the result, but will be happy with the two goals they scored.

If you want to download the stats report in PDF format you can do so here:

UCL Stats Gallery: Liverpool vs AC Milan