Liverpool made Porto look like pushovers... but stats show Reds deserve far more credit for the win ⚽️🔥
Porto are harder to beat at home than some may suspect
Liverpool have enjoyed a profitable relationship with FC Porto in the Champions League throughout Jürgen Klopp’s tenure.
A profitable relationship from the Reds’ perspective, at the very least, with the Merseysiders having secured five wins from seven meetings with the Primeira Liga outfit.
A jaw-dropping 80% of those wins, including the club’s latest 5-1 thumping of the Dragons, produced four or more goals from Liverpool’s side.
Remarkably, things are somewhat more reserved at Anfield (recently, at least), with the scorelines including a 2-0 win, a goalless draw and a 4-1 win.
The picture, however, is infinitely more interesting when we consider the Portuguese side’s home form in the Champions League.
According to Times journalist, Bill Edgar, Liverpool - and only Liverpool - have been responsible for heavy defeats at the Estádio do Dragão over the course of Porto’s last 11 home games in Europe’s premier competition.
Sérgio Conceição’s men did, of course, concede twice against eventual winners Chelsea in last year’s Champions League campaign, though it should be noted that the actual ‘home’ tie was played in Seville - so we won’t be taking it into consideration.
It’s really worth then highlighting that the two-time winners of the Champions League don’t tend to concede more than a goal at home.
Some will be quick to suggest that Liverpool have become Porto’s bogey club following the arrival of Klopp in Merseyside.
But after a season in which the Reds’ attacking prowess waned and became near-solely reliant on the contributions of Mohamed Salah, it’s necessary that we don’t rule out the possibility that Liverpool have rediscovered their scoring boots.
With 26 goals in their opening nine fixtures - a feat matched only twice (1922 and 2016) in the club’s 129-year history - the latter point would appear to be the more convincing conclusion of the two.
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