Liverpool scored no goals in their three cup finals this season, despite 330 minutes of attempting to. The Reds might need to rethink things.
Liverpool lost the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday, 1-0 to Real Madrid. It’s a gutting blow as the Reds controlled the game from start to finish.
Liverpool had 24 shots in Paris. Real had four. Los Blancos scored with their first shot on target and their only shot on target until the dying stages.
But that can happen. There’s little doubt that Thibaut Courtois was in sensational form for the final, with two saves, in particular, looking particularly outstanding.
Jurgen Klopp’s side should have scored here, though. They had the possession, kept the game in Real’s third of the pitch and created chances to score. As good as Courtois was, Liverpool didn’t once have an effort on goal that took him out of the equation – their finishing wasn’t quite good enough.
Unfortunately, no one could take a chance – and that’s now a recurring theme.
Liverpool score no goals in Paris
Liverpool have played three cup finals this season. The first two went to penalties after two sets of 120 goalless minutes at Wembley. And so now that’s 330 minutes without a goal in cup finals.
What do Liverpool read into that? They’ve been dominant going forward this season – absolutely incredible at times – but that’s three times now that they’ve completely failed to find the net when it counts.
A tight defence saved them against Chelsea in the domestic finals. They were able to take it to penalties and lift the trophies. Liverpool couldn’t quite keep Real out, though, and it cost them.
Are the forwards just not good enough to score in finals? We find that hard to believe. It is a mental thing? A pressure problem? Again, we find it hard to believe but there must be a reason.
There’s always the chance it’s rotten luck, of course, but 330 minutes is a long time to go without a goal when you look so lethal outside of finals. We’ll have to see what Liverpool do this summer with it all in mind. Perhaps they do nothing and back their attackers as is. But perhaps something needs to change – either with creation or finishing.