’Pool failing to make chances count

David de Gea grabbed the headlines last weekend after another stunning performance frustrated Liverpool and handed Manchester United three points.

Yet it was a familiar tale for Brendan Rodgers’ side, whose failure to convert chances is becoming a regular occurrence.

This season’s shot conversion rates reaffirm the vastly different fortunes of the two sides in front of goal and while De Gea was undoubtedly the star of the show last Sunday, his performance only served to exaggerate Liverpool’s underlying problems.

It is perhaps no surprise, given United’s recent string of somewhat fortunate victories, that their shot conversion is only bettered by league leaders, Chelsea. United require an average of just 7.3 attempts to find the back of the net, equating to a conversion rate of 13.7%.

By contrast Chelsea, the division’s top scorers, require an ever so slightly fewer 7.2 shots to score, converting at 13.9%.

These are figures Liverpool could only dream of in their current form. They may have broken the 100 goal barrier last term, but as we approach the halfway mark of the season, only three sides require more efforts than Liverpool’s average of 12.4 to find the net.

The 8.1% of their shots which beat the goalkeeper is lower than everyone except Burnley, QPR, and the league’s lowest scorers, Aston Villa.

United’s efficiency in front of goal is down to three players in particular. Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney have been instrumental in United’s recent resurgence and a stand out statistic was Van Persie’s double in their win over Southampton in which United only mustered three efforts in total.

Of players with 10 or more shots, Van Persie, with four goals in his last four appearances, averages 2.62 shots per game and converts 17.9% of his chances, well ahead of Liverpool’s top scorer, Steven Gerrard (10.5%).

His Old Trafford strike partner, Rooney, can boast of even greater predatory instincts when in front of goal. The United captain, who averages 2.67 shots per game, finds the back of the net with 18.2% of his efforts.

These figures place both players inside the top 10 of individuals with five or more goals this season.

Yet it is another United player who, with five goals to his name this season, has proved deadly accurate when served an opportunity to strike.

Juan Mata, currently enjoying a sustained run in Louis van Gaal’s starting XI, has converted 47.1% of his chances — the highest rate of any player with 10 or more shots this season. Taking an average of 1.06 shots per game may only equate to 0.44 goals per 90 minutes, but when presented with a sniff of the goal, Mata is proving deadly — something Liverpool are not.