Why Arne Slot's Liverpool have dominated this season's UEFA Champions League as Mohamed Salah drives quadruple push

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Arne Slot and Liverpool are top of both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League as the second half of the season gets into full swing. The Reds, who face Lille on Wednesday in a bid to stretch their 100% record in the league phase, have beaten the likes of Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen - but what do the stats say about this drive towards, perhaps, an unprecedented quadruple?

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Brushing aside last season's UEFA Champions League winners.

Thrashing last season's Bundesliga invincibles.

Conceding one goal in six matches.

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09/12/2025 at 15:18

Liverpool have taken down all before them this season so far in the UEFA Champions League, as Arne Slot continues to follow seamlessly in the footsteps of Jurgen Klopp.

The penultimate league phase matchday - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Tuesday - sees The Reds host Lille, as they aim to keep up their 100% record and fine-tune their preparations for the impending knockout rounds.

But if Liverpool have been so dominant in Europe, then what are the reasons behind it?

Is the attack slower or quicker?

How are Liverpool different under Slot compared to Klopp?

It's been one of the intriguing questions to ponder in the Dutchman's first season at Anfield, with the club's top players often asked to give their take.

Speaking recently, Trent Alexander-Arnold said: "I would say more emphasis on patience on the ball [under Slot].

"Over the last few years it's not been crazy up and down the pitch, but there's a lot more emphasis [now] on patience and making the other team work and run, switch it from side to side and then through the middle.

"So I would say there's less long balls and long passes, and for me more intricate passes to get through the opposition rather than over or round."

The stats, however, suggest Liverpool have not totally abandoned the more thunderous method that was common under Klopp...

Category	Liverpool	UEFA Champions League rank
Direct attacks	24	1st
Direct attack goals	2	=1st
Direct speed (m/s)	1.89	=5th

Stats: Opta

As an example, Cody Gakpo's goal against Bayer Leverkusen - Liverpool's second of that night - saw Slot's men go from their own box to the back of their opponents' net in just 14 seconds.

It's their patience - allied to this option for directness - that makes them such a varied team to combat.

Highlights: Diaz hat-trick sees Liverpool crush Leverkusen on Alonso return

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Watertight defence

Liverpool's European defensive data this season makes for seriously impressive reading:

Category	Liverpool	UEFA Champions League rank
Clean sheets	5	=1st
Goals conceded	1	=1st
Expected goals against	5.2	=3rd
% of game time spent losing	3.5%	2nd

It's in the big moments that their backline have really stepped up, such as Caoimhin Kelleher's memorable penalty save from Kylian Mbappe that brought the Anfield house down - not long after the Real Madrid forward had been unceremoniously, legally upended by Conor Bradley.

Watch: Every angle of Bradley's 'fantastic, strong' tackle on Mbappe

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In a sign of how well-stocked Liverpool are in between the sticks, Kelleher leads Alisson Becker 3-2 in the European clean sheet stakes so far.

"Look at the goalkeeper," Steve McManaman recently said. "He’s a superstar isn’t he, Caoimhin Kelleher.

"He played more games last year than Alisson because of injuries, he’s done exactly the same this year.

"If you have the quality behind you - Trent Alexander-Arnold went off today [at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League] and Conor Bradley seamlessly comes in - if you’ve got that, great."

Together with that depth, the fact that Liverpool have spent so little time behind in the Champions League this season - just 3.5% of their total minutes - is a large contributing factor to why they have been able to navigate their games in a calm, low stress manner.

'Absolutely massive!' - Mbappe penalty saved in style by Kelleher

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The Salah factor

It's two goals, four assists for Mohamed Salah in the Champions League so far - together with his Premier League heroics - as he looks on a mission to deliver trophies to Anfield in what he says could be his final season at the club.

The noises about his future do not appear to be distracting him; indeed, perhaps they are having the opposite effect, with Salah declaring recently that if it is to be his last season at the club, then he wants to remember it in the right way.

'That's special!' - Salah doubles Liverpool lead with trademark cut and curl

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In the same way that Lamine Yamal seems to be firing Barcelona towards possible greatness in Europe this season, so too is Salah spearheading a team labelled the "best in the world".

Despite Liverpool's Champions League triumph in 2019, Salah could be forgiven for thinking the chance of a second crown is deservingly his and his club's - after that incident with Sergio Ramos in the 2018 final that saw him exit after just half an hour.

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With two brilliant keepers, a watertight defence, a functioning, flexible midfield and guaranteed goals from the likes of Salah and Luis Diaz, Liverpool look well set up for a tilt at a fourth Champions League final in eight seasons.

TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.

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