‘Wow!’ – Jurgen Klopp reacts after being told of incredible penalty stat ahead of crunch clash against Man Utd
JURGEN KLOPP was left stunned after learning of Liverpool’s lengthy run without a penalty ahead of their clash against Manchester United.
Liverpool welcome the Red Devils to Anfield on Sunday with Klopp’s side looking to close the gap to the top four.
The Reds have struggled this year but Klopp is confident the stats show his side are doing the right things.
But one stat working against Liverpool is their run of 32 games without a penalty.
The Reds were last awarded a penalty against Watford last April, and they have had 1,138 touches in the penalty box since their last spot-kick, per Opta.
The Liverpool boss was informed of the stat in his pre-match press conference.
He responded with surprise saying: “We still have the second most possession, the second most shots on goal.
“Stats wise we are up there so we are very often in the opposition box, I have no clue how that could happen.
“There are so many strange decisions where you think, ‘wow, how is that possible’.
“But to not get a penalty for that long a time is funny.”
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Meanwhile, Bournemouth can empathise with Liverpool’s position having not had a penalty for 24 Prem matches.
Brighton, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest have also had a lengthy wait between penalties while United last had a spot-kick against Crystal Palace – four games ago.
The longest run in the English top division without a penalty remains 91 games for Wimbledon between 1997 and 2000.
Liverpool have had just one longer run in the Premier League, 45 games in 1996 and 1997.