This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
It was close and uncomfortable for Liverpool against Aston Villa on Saturday, but the three points are all that matters to the Reds in the end.
The Villans led 1-0 until the last five minutes of normal time, but Andrew Robertson was on hand to equalise before Sadio Mane scored his 10th goal of the season in the fourth minute of injury time to grab the victory.
Watch the moment Adam Lallana broke United hearts at Old Trafford in the video below…
It now means that Jurgen Klopp and co are six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, with the two facing off next week at Anfield.
This match against the Villans will have given Pep Guardiola and co confidence though, even despite the heroic comeback at the end. This was not the most stellar display from the Reds, and Roberto Firmino was one of those who struggled to make an impact.
Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
Yes, he may have made a match-leading four key passes, but that was in contrast to the zero shots on target he managed. Overall, the six-time European champions managed to make Tom Heaton work just six times from 25 efforts, which goes some way to explaining why they made such a meal of the eventual victory.
Not only that, but the Brazil international, who signed for the club in 2015 from Hoffenheim for a fee of £29m, failed to complete a single dribble and lost all six of the ground duels he contested. He didn’t do much better aerially, either, triumphing in just two of the five battles he took part in. The 80% pass accuracy was another aspect of his game that was lacking.
The 28-year-old is a team player, with his impressive assist record often being used to prove his worth to the side but, at the end of the day, he is a striker, and his remit should be scoring goals. So far this campaign, he has just three strikes in 16 outings, and although he does have eight assists, his lack of goals is a concern.
Recently, there have been rumours linking the Reds with a move for Timo Werner, with Ian McGarry suggesting that the club had opened negotiations over a permanent deal while speaking on The Transfer Window podcast. The Germany international caught the eye for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga against Mainz at the weekend, bagging a hattrick of both goals and assists against Mainz.
The former Stuttgart striker, who moved to Die Rotenbullen in 2016 for €10m (£8.6m), is adept at both scoring and creating, and reportedly has a buy-out clause worth £27m.
In the last four seasons, he has played 93 leagues games, scoring 59 goals and providing 27 assists. £72m-valued Firmino – as per Transfermarkt – has played 23 more games in the Premier League, yet has 18 fewer goals and the same number of assists.
Liverpool’s number nine, meanwhile, has created just 1.5 chances per league match compared to the 23-year-old’s 2.2. All in all, Werner matches Firmino’s creative ability and has a superior goal scoring record.
The Brazilian may be a fan favourite, but this performance against Villa is just a microcosm of why the Merseyside outfit’s hierarchy should do all they can to bring the Bundesliga star to Merseyside.