Liverpool wastefulness vs Man Utd summed up by MIND-BLOWING stats

Liverpool may have battled back to draw 2-2 with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, but the mood was very much one of two points dropped rather than one gained.

Jurgen Klopp's side took the lead through Luis Diaz and could (and should) have been out of sight in the first half with chances plentiful against their rivals once again.

However, much like in last month's FA Cup quarter final defeat at the same ground, Liverpool were made to rue their wastefulness, with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo strikes after the break turning the game on its head.

Mo Salah's late penalty salvaged a point, meaning Liverpool finished the weekend level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table with seven games to go, but the inability to finish off an unimpressive United could prove incredibly costly in the title race.

READ MORE: 5 talking points from Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Manchester United 

The Reds' record against the 'Big Six' this season has become an issue, with Klopp's men having only won one meeting from nine in the league in 2023/24 against United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea or Tottenham.

That one came in the form of a 4-1 home victory over Chelsea in January, a side who have hardly looked like one of the league's best this campaign.

Liverpool's issues in the league against the bigger (if not better) sides have been particularly frustrating when it comes to United, with every meeting this season there for the taking.

Liverpool's frustration vs United in numbers

On Sunday, the draw finished with an xG score of United 0.87-3.92 Liverpool.

As per Understat, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai both underperformed their xG by at least 0.7, while they weren't the only ones to spurn chances in the game.

During the game, lopsided shot maps did the rounds on social media.

Erik ten Hag's side faced a whopping total of 28 shots — their most on record in a Premier League game at Old Trafford, as reported by Opta.

In the reverse fixture, which finished 0-0 back at Anfield in December, Liverpool had 34 attempts on goal.

That combined total of 62 is the joint-most by any side against another in a season on record in the Premier League. And Liverpool won neither game, taking just two points.

Adding in last month's 4-3 FA Cup defeat, in which Liverpool peppered United with another 25 shots, and you have a total of 87 attempts on goal this season alone, but no wins.

These are remarkable numbers.

For added context, in last season's famous 7-0 win at Anfield, the Reds needed just 18 shots and finished the game with an xG total of 2.91. That match may have been anomaly but it brings into stark contrast the underwhelming nature of this season's attacking displays against the same opponent.

Don't get it wrong, Liverpool have been superb for the most part this season and are still very much in this title race despite the weekend's result. However, a missing clinical streak, especially prevalent in some of the big games, has been a disappointment.

After the game on Sunday, Jamie Carragher identified Diogo Jota as a player Liverpool need back to help correct the issue. The returning Portuguese should help matters, but with just seven games to go in the title race — and Arsenal and Man City looking particularly ruthless — time is running out.

The displays against United can only been seen as huge missed opportunities.