%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
Virgil van Dijk Points to ‘Killer’ Stat Behind Liverpool’s Floundering Title Defence
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk put his side’s feeble defence of their Premier League title down to a ruinous set-piece record, which he described as “the killer.”
The Reds were once one of the division’s most dominant dead-ball teams. Cottoning on to the idea that this once unheralded aspect of the sport could be exploited without the need of anything more than time on the training pitch thanks to their data team, it was one of the many edges exploited during Jürgen Klopp’s triumphant spell.
Arne Slot didn’t quite reap the same rewards during his title-winning campaign last season, yet Liverpool still scored more than they conceded from set pieces. The balance has unmistakably shifted this term.
New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC. dark. FREE NEWSLETTER
Santiago Bueno’s close-range thump on Saturday afternoon was the 12th goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece this season, which represents the worst record across England’s top flight—they only shipped nine across the entire 2024–25 campaign. To compound the woes of Van Dijk and Slot, Liverpool have scored just three times.
In the Premier League’s set-piece table, no club has a worse goal difference.
2025–26 Premier League Set-Piece Table
Team | Set-Piece Goals For / Against | Set-Piece Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|
Tottenham | 9 / 2 | +7 |
Arsenal | 10 / 4 | +6 |
Leeds | 12 / 8 | +4 |
Chelsea | 11 / 7 | +4 |
Sunderland | 7 / 3 | +4 |
Man Utd | 11 / 8 | +3 |
Aston Villa | 9 / 7 | +2 |
Brighton | 6 / 4 | +2 |
Newcastle | 8 / 7 | +1 |
Everton | 5 / 4 | +1 |
Brentford | 3 / 2 | +1 |
Fulham | 6 / 6 | 0 |
Man City | 6 / 6 | 0 |
Wolves | 2 / 4 | -2 |
Crystal Palace | 7 / 10 | -3 |
Burnley | 4 / 7 | -3 |
West Ham | 6 / 11 | -5 |
Bournemouth | 6 / 12 | -6 |
Nottingham Forest | 4 / 11 | -7 |
Liverpool | 3 / 12 | -9 |
Stats via WhoScored. Correct as of Dec. 28, 2025.
Van Dijk pointed to this damning statistic in the aftermath of Saturday’s 2–1 win. “There have been plenty of games when we have defended them very well. But the fact is we’ve conceded too many set-piece goals and we don’t score enough,” he sighed.
“It’s something we have to improve. I would say at least 75% of the time or even more, it’s not even about the first contact. It’s the second phase that is the killer.
“Is it a mental thing? I hope not. If that’s in your head then it’s an issue. Personally, it’s not in my head.”
It must be in Van Dijk’s head to some extent considering his strong views on the topic.
“We have defended so many set pieces very well,” the Dutch defender somehow claimed. “But we’ve conceded too many goals like that and it hurts. We have to improve that. Training is the only way to get better at it. It’s not been good enough. We all realise that. We have spoken about it. We need to turn it around. That’s why we work on it almost every training session.”
Slot Backs Up Van Dijk’s Claim
Slot expressed the same remorse as Van Dijk. “Unfortunately we’re maybe the only team that hardly ever scores from a set piece and, even worse, we constantly concede.”
However, the Liverpool boss did offer something of a silver lining. “But then, I think I said two, three or four weeks ago, we have to make sure that when things go against us—it could be a set piece, it could be other things—we still need to find a way to win.
“In the last two games we conceded from a set piece but we were able to win and that hasn’t happened many times this season. That’s progress for me, but it’s obvious there are more things for us to improve and this is definitely one of them.
Next. Greatest Soccer of All Time. The Greatest Soccer Players of All Time. dark
“I think we have been unlucky in multiple situations in our set pieces. It is 18 games now and we need to improve.”
That element of misfortune which Slot grasped for is somewhat founded. Liverpool may have shipped a Premier League-high tally of 12 set-piece goals, but their xG from this situation stands at a more modest 5.9—the eighth-best record, per Opta.
This discrepancy can be partially explained by some underwhelming goalkeeping—Alisson has not been at his best this term and understudy Giorgi Mamardashvili did not enjoy the most commanding midseason cameo—as well as downright bad luck.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
feed
Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.