Liverpool produced 3 ridiculous stats vs Sheffield United we'd never seen before

Liverpool produced three ridiculous stats vs Sheffield United at Anfield, including a new Premier League record. It was absolute dominance in possession.

Liverpool had to work for their 3-1 win against Sheffield United in the Premier League on Thursday. That's despite dominance with the ball, unlike anything we've seen before.

Here's the headline stat: Liverpool's 83.1% possession is the most by a team in Premier League history. It knocks Pep Guardiola's Manchester City into 2nd place for a stat they're synonymous with.

So how did Liverpool do it? By not really ever giving the ball away. Their possession as a team here was 91%, which is utterly ridiculous.

708 accurate passes out of 779 attempted, for raw numbers. Virgil van Dijk boasted the best percentage in the Liverpool team - 98%. He made that one quite easy, too, by attempting exactly 100.

Curtis Jones is back

The last stat we'll highlight is from the returning Curtis Jones. The Scouser is back in the mix after what turned into a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an injury.

This was his return, as Jurgen Klopp promised ahead of the fixture. He handed out 17 minutes to Jones, who entered the fray with Liverpool at 1-1.

Three minutes later, Jones was involved in the buildup as Alexis Mac Allister scored to make it 2-1. Liverpool's control was back.

And nothing highlights just how involved Jones was than the fact he completed 29 out of 31 passes in those 17 minutes. That's more completed passes than Sheffield United's starting midfield three combined.

We don't know if Jones is fit enough to start against Manchester United this weekend but he quickly played himself into contention. At the very least, he's getting more than 17 minutes at Old Trafford.

While Mac Allister rightly stole the show from midfield - and what a performance it was - Jones offered a reminder of just how much he can help Liverpool. On a day when the Reds passed their opponents off the pitch, no one offered a more dramatic example.