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In what was the first leg of the most keenly awaited Round of 16 fixture of the UEFA Champions League this term, Bayern Munich travelled to Anfield to take on Liverpool and effected a stalemate. Don't be fooled by the 0-0 scoreline though. There were plenty of chances on offer for both teams.
Given Bayern's not so staggering form this season, and the Merseysiders' juggernaut of a campaign thus far, Jurgen Klopp and Co. were the clear favourites heading into the tie. Unsurprisingly so, Liverpool tried to make the most out of their home advantage as they had their foot on the gas right from the get-go.
Die Roten though, had other ideas. They soaked up the pressure, amped up their game in the second half, and delivered a clean sheet, something that not many teams have been able to garner in front of the Kop. Add to this the fact that Liverpool have lost all their away games in the Champions League this season, and it's not really tough to see why the visitors would be happy with this result.
Having said that, let us have a look at the three reasons why Bayern drew 0-0 against Liverpool at Anfield:
#1 Liverpool left their shooting boots at home
As mentioned earlier, there was plenty of offensive action in the game, especially from the hosts. Liverpool easily dominated the first half of the game where they often caught the likes of Niklas Sule and Mats Hummels in sixes and sevens.
All the elements of a traditional Liverpool attack, as we have seen so often under Jurgen Klopp, were present and accounted for. There was the gegenpress, there were the overlapping runs by the full-backs, there were midfielders committing themselves higher up the pitch. A crucial aspect was amiss though - composure in front of goal.
Liverpool attempted a total of 15 shots against the Allianz Arena outfit but managed to keep only two of them on target. You've got to do better than that when trying to make Manuel Neuer's net bulge.
There was the missed header by Mohamed Salah off Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross around the near post. The Egyptian also failed to get enough on the ball earlier on in the game when he was found by Jordan Henderson via a telling long ball.
There was the scuppered volley by Joel Matip in the second half. But no missed chance will haunt the Reds as much as Sadio Mane's skewed attempt from barely 10 yards out after a Naby Keita attempt ricocheted off Sule and fell kindly for the Senegalese.
#2 Bayern were ready for the Liverpool counter
If you've seen Liverpool play in the recent months, you'll be aware of just how potent Mo Salah and Co. are on the counter. They get the numbers forward quickly, string rapid passes, and find that open man quite effortlessly.
On the other hand, if you've followed Bayern's 2018-19 season so far, the glaring chink in Die Roten's armour has been their failure to fend off counter-attacks. Joshua Kimmich, in particular, has been accused of exposing the defence quite often, given his attacking instincts.
The 24-year-old focused more on his defensive efforts today and was barely seen bombing the flanks like he usually does. Even David Alaba on the other wing employed a conservative approach as did the majority of the Bayern team.
Even when in possession, the Bavarians never really committed more than five to six players to any attack during open play which did allow the hosts to get back in position and close gaping holes, if any, in defence.
Sure, Bayern never really looked convincing when going forward with most of their offence coming through Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman. However, it helped them to not concede either and salvage a draw which looked like Niko Kovac's plan all along.
#3 Liverpool's front three failed to stamp their authority
Liverpool did manage to create a stream of chances throughout the game but most of the credit for that has to be afforded to their midfield trio of Naby Keita, Jordan Henderson, and Georginio Wijnaldum, all of whom were immense on the night.
Mo Salah's reputation as a goalscorer can also act as an inhibitor for the Egyptian as was seen on the night. Bayern prepared well for the Liverpool No.11 as they almost always succeeded in nullifying his runs forward.
Salah never managed to get into his stride, getting marked by multiple players whenever he ambled forward. Besides the underwhelming shot from Henderson's through ball and the missed header in the first half, Salah failed to concoct anything meaningful for the hosts.
Roberto Firmino was no better either. The Brazilian was involved in a few plays towards the end of the first half but that was all about it for him. Sadio Mane, on the other hand, always got into good positions but was either thwarted by some astute defending or was guilty of committing horrendous howlers on his end.
With Liverpool's triumvirate failing to make the desired impact on the game, it was hard to see Jurgen Klopp's side get the better of Bayern which is what happened in the end.
