Liverpool's title hopes depend on Jota's finishing ability as others struggle

Jurgen Klopp bemoaned Liverpool's defensive openness in their Europa League loss to Atalanta. "It was tactical discipline," he said. "They scored and we kept playing into their hands."

But there were familiar issues at the other end of the pitch too. Liverpool had 19 shots worth 2.6 expected goals and yet failed to score once. Their finishing is a headache for Klopp.

This was just the latest example of a problem best summed up by their record against Manchester United this season. In three meetings with Erik ten Hag's side, Liverpool are somehow winless despite having a staggering combined total of 87 shots on goal.

Darwin Nunez has been the main culprit, having five shots without scoring in Sunday's 2-2 draw at Old Trafford and six without scoring in the FA Cup loss there in March. He was similarly profligate against Atalanta, his one-on-one miss in the 15th minute setting the tone.

The Uruguayan has of course made an important contribution this season, scoring 18 goals across all competitions and providing 13 assists. But his wastefulness remains a frustration.

According to Opta, he has missed 24 of his 30 big chances in the Premier League this season, giving him one of the worst conversion rates in the division.

Mohamed Salah's level has dipped too.

The Egyptian was outstanding before aggravating his hamstring injury in February, scoring 15 goals in 21 Premier League games with an impressive shot conversion rate of over 22 per cent.

But since his return to action, that conversion rate has dropped to eight per cent. He is shooting more than twice as often but his efforts have been of lower quality. The numbers suggest he is trying too hard to rectify Liverpool's issue on his own.

The reality is that no one player can do that