If somebody had told you that this season a team would break a Premier League record by scoring seven successive non-penalty set-piece goals, who would you guess?
Mikel Arteta’s set-piece machine at Arsenal? Brentford, who appointed a set-piece coach as their manager?
Either way, Liverpool would probably not have been towards the top of your list.
Yet it is Arne Slot’s side that broke that record after a set-piece flurry in the first half of their 5-2 victory over West Ham United where they scored three goals, all from corners.
A few months ago, it felt inconceivable. If anything, it was more likely that Liverpool would break a record for the most non-penalty set-piece goals conceded consecutively.
In the summer, Liverpool went in one direction when recruiting and planning for this campaign as defending champions. It quickly became apparent that the rest of the Premier League had gone the other way.
Physicality and set plays have defined this league season. Long throw-ins have taken the league by storm, while six-yard boxes frequently resemble a wrestling ring when a corner comes in.
It has taken long enough, but Liverpool have finally adjusted to the league’s trend and that — while not everybody’s cup of tea — is not a bad thing.
Embrace it. If you can’t beat them, join them.
While Liverpool have excelled in the Champions League from set pieces all season, when set-piece coach Aaron Briggs was officially relieved of his duties on December 30, they had scored three in the league and conceded 12, excluding penalties.
That has flipped. No team had scored fewer set-piece goals in the league at the turn of year than Liverpool. Since the start of 2026, no team has scored more, netting nine and conceding three.
They arrived late to the party but have now become the life and soul of it.
Non-penalty set piece goals since Jan 1
| Team | Non-Pen Set Piece Goals |
|---|---|
|
Liverpool |
9 |
|
Arsenal |
6 |
|
Newcastle |
6 |
|
Bournemouth |
5 |
|
Brentford |
5 |
|
Tottenham |
4 |
|
Aston Villa |
3 |
|
Everton |
3 |
|
Brentford |
3 |
|
Burnley |
3 |
|
Fulham |
3 |
|
West Ham United |
2 |
|
Crystal Palace |
2 |
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers |
2 |
|
Manchester United |
2 |
|
Nottingham Forest |
2 |
|
Leeds United |
1 |
|
Chelsea |
1 |
The run, which ended when Cody Gakpo scored Liverpool’s fourth against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side from open play, began with Ibrahima Konate’s late goal from a corner in the 4-1 victory over Newcastle United.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunning free-kick against Manchester City before Virgil van Dijk (corner) and Alexis Mac Allister (throw-in) scored the only goal in 1-0 wins against Sunderland and Nottingham Forest, respectively.
Corners were the theme against West Ham with Van Dijk scoring the second in a similar fashion to his header against Sunderland. An inswinging corner, a crowded six-yard box, and a flicked header to the far post — it appears to be the trademark goal they are trying to replicate and the numbers, which The Athletic dug into, back that up.
The first and third goals were more opportunistic. For the first, Ryan Gravenberch kept the ball alive twice on the edge of the area, feeding Hugo Ekitike on the second occasion. For the third, at the back post, Ekitike cushioned Van Dijk’s near post flick-on into the path of Alexis Mac Allister, who volleyed home.
Van Dijk scored a similar goal against Sunderland (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Slot has found himself speaking about set pieces in virtually every pre- and post-match press conference he has conducted this season. Increasingly, it is in a positive light.
“Maybe one or two small details have changed defensively and offensively,” he told reporters after the game. “Our setup is slightly different, but the biggest reason is that things go back to normal.
“We created quite a lot of chances from set pieces in the first part of the season and almost every set piece we conceded went in and today you could see exactly the opposite happening.
“One of their first big chances was a set piece that would have gone in, in the first six or seven months, one hundred per cent sure. But now it didn’t and we start scoring from set pieces and then things are much brighter and better than when you don’t and that’s really pleasing for us, for the team and for our fans as well.”
Becoming a set-piece team is not what Liverpool supporters want, but when you are missing your creative No 10 through injury, the £125million striker signed in the summer is out, and the two starting wingers have struggled for form and output all season, then sometimes finding ways to win has to take precedence over style.
The lack of speed and dynamism in Liverpool’s play has been, among other things, low-block related. An early goal via a set piece offered a reminder of the impact it can have on an opponent’s approach. Slot’s side were far from convincing in patches, but in the second half, especially, they were free-flowing in transition with West Ham having to take more risks in possession.
While playing up-tempo, scintillating football under Jurgen Klopp, set pieces still formed a key part of Liverpool’s three title challenges under their former manager. In 2018-19 (1st for goals from set pieces — 22), 2019-20 (joint-1st — 17) and 2021-22 (2nd — 19). Nobody scored more goals from corners in any of those campaigns either.
It was part of their attacking arsenal, but they were not defined by it. Klopp’s side found the right balance.
That is Slot’s next task, and while open-play improvements are still required, if they qualify for the Champions League next season through set-piece goals, then few will be complaining.
They have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions. It has been a long wait for Liverpool to turn a much-needed corner in their attempts to revive their campaign, and they’ve done that through literal corners.