Liverpool continue to show they can quickly learn from the first 45 minutes of games to assert themselves in the second half, and a shell-shocked Bayer Leverkusen can attest to that.
For the second time in as many games, the Reds turned on the afterburners after halftime to flip the game on its head and set them on course for a vital victory.
“[In the] second half, we could adjust to the game plan of the first half, we took a bit more risks, we were better with the ball as well,” Arne Slot assessed after the 4-0 win over Leverkusen.
With the assistance of FotMob, we can see the clear swing in key markers of the game that helped extend Liverpool’s 100 percent record in the Champions League.
Turning on the afterburners at halftime
Slot made just two changes to his starting lineup on Tuesday, opting to play Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz in attack – seeing the latter take on the No. 9 role.
In the first half, Liverpool showed promise but managed nine shots (three on target) worth an xG of just 0.63 – creating zero big chances and passing the ball in the opposition half only 87 times.
This is part of the control Slot wants his side to exert, as Leverkusen were themselves restricted to just five shots (one on target) and an xG of 0.16 in the first 45 minutes.
But if we look at the second half, Liverpool did take more “risks,” as Slot noted, and it certainly paid off – much to the delight of an expectant Anfield that, again, willed the Reds to victory.
After the interval, the Reds scored four goals from 13 shots (five on target), which was worth an xG of 3.17 – they created five big chances and missed just one in the final term.
The only red wave that is of interest to us is the one that saw Slot’s men take 25 touches in the opposition box – up 12 from the first half – and take 11 of their shots from inside the box.
Leverkusen could not stop the home side’s momentum, they were at the mercy of Slot’s players and Anfield working in perfect harmony.
“What I like until now is that we are able to keep producing this energy and even go a gear higher [in the second half],” Slot explained after the win.
This is a notable trend throughout the Dutchman’s tenure to date, as of the 37 goals Liverpool have scored across all competitions, 22 (59.5 percent) have come after halftime.
And let’s not forget, this was a Leverkusen team that had lost just two games in all competitions since the start of the 2023/24 season.
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