Liverpool Card Stats: Low Bookings and the Under 3.5 Yellows Line
Liverpool are one of the quieter clubs in the book for yellow cards. The real question is where that calm breaks down, and by how much.
- Market
- Yellow Cards
- On file
- Liverpool Premier League matches 2005/06–2025/26, 798 games with booking data
- Question
- How often do Liverpool league games stay under the common yellow card lines, and where do the bookings rise?
- E13.10Yellows per Liverpool league game
- E261.2%Liverpool games under 3.5 yellows
- E31.64Fair odds, under 3.5 yellows
- E433.8%Home games with no Liverpool yellow
Liverpool have a reputation as a front-foot side that doesn't need to foul much, and I wanted to see whether the card record backs that up. Across 798 Premier League games with booking data from 2005/06–2025/26, Liverpool matches averaged 3.10 yellows against 3.35 for the league. That's a modest gap, but it shows up on every under line I checked.
The headline answer: under 3.5 yellows landed in 61.2% of Liverpool games, which works out at fair odds of 1.64. The more useful finding for my yellow card predictions work is where that number falls apart. Merseyside derbies and Big Six meetings push the totals well above the club norm, while a quiet Anfield fixture against a mid-table side is where Liverpool look tamest.
Exhibit ALiverpool games sit below the league on every under line
This chart sets the share of Liverpool games under each total yellow line against the Premier League average. Under 2.5 landed in 41.9% of Liverpool games against 35.7% league-wide, and under 3.5 came in at 61.2% against 56.1%. The 95% range on that under 3.5 figure is ±3.4 points, so the edge over the league holds up, though it isn't a wide one.
Further up the ladder the gap narrows. Under 4.5 sits at 77.2% against 74.0%, and under 5.5 at 88.8% against 86.3%. At those lines nearly every game clears, Liverpool or not, so the club tells you less.
View the data: under lines: liverpool games vs the league
| PL average | Liverpool games | 95% range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2.5 (798 games) | 35.7% | 41.9% | ±3.4 |
| Under 3.5 (798 games) | 56.1% | 61.2% | ±3.4 |
| Under 4.5 (798 games) | 74.0% | 77.2% | ±2.9 |
| Under 5.5 (798 games) | 86.3% | 88.8% | ±2.2 |
My read is that the lower lines are where Liverpool's profile earns its keep. The under 2.5 gap is the largest in relative terms, and that's the line I'd look at hardest when the opponent is a quieter one.
Exhibit BDerbies and Big Six games break the quiet pattern
Split by opponent, the overall average turns out to be hiding three very different clubs. Against the 546 games outside the Big Six, Liverpool matches averaged 2.78 yellows and under 3.5 landed 68.5% of the time. Against the other Big Six sides, over 210 games, that average climbs to 3.73 and under 3.5 drops to 46.2%.
The Merseyside derby is hotter still. In 42 league meetings Liverpool averaged 1.69 yellows and Everton 2.43, a total of 4.12 per game, with under 3.5 landing only 40.5% of the time.
| Opponent | Games | Liverpool Y/g | Opp Y/g | Total Y/g | Under 3.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs Everton | 42 | 1.69 | 2.43 | 4.12 | 40.5% |
| vs other Big Six | 210 | 1.78 | 1.95 | 3.73 | 46.2% |
| vs the rest | 546 | 1.21 | 1.57 | 2.78 | 68.5% |
The derby sample is only 42 games, so I treat it as a strong lean rather than a precise rate. But the direction matches what anyone who has watched those games would expect, and Everton carry most of the extra cards.
Exhibit CAnfield is where Liverpool most often stay clean
This is Liverpool's own booking count, split home and away against the average Premier League team. At home Liverpool finished without a yellow in 33.8% of games, well clear of the 19.0% league norm. They picked up 3 or more in just 10.0% of home games.
Away from home they become an ordinary side. No yellow in 18.5% of away games and 3 or more in 25.1%, which is almost exactly the league team average of 24.0% for that band.
View the data: how often liverpool finish with 0, 1, 2 or 3+ yellows
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool home (399) | 33.8% | 34.6% | 21.6% | 10.0% |
| Liverpool away (399) | 18.5% | 31.1% | 25.3% | 25.1% |
| PL average team (15,960) | 19.0% | 30.2% | 26.8% | 24.0% |
For player and team card markets, that home and away split is the most practical thing in this file. A Liverpool home game against a lesser opponent stacks two calm factors together, while an away trip removes one of them.
Exhibit DLiverpool bookings rose again after a clean spell
Season by season, Liverpool's own rate has moved more than the long-run average suggests. The most-booked season was 2014/15 at 1.74 yellows per game, and the cleanest was 2018/19 at 0.97. The years around that low point stayed subdued before the numbers climbed again.
In 2025/26 Liverpool averaged 1.50 yellows per game and their opponents 1.97. Opponents have outscored Liverpool in most seasons, which fits the overall split of 1.38 against 1.72.
View the data: liverpool and opponent yellows by season
| Liverpool | Opponents | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005/06 | 1.32 | 1.53 |
| 2006/07 | 1.13 | 1.45 |
| 2007/08 | 1.21 | 1.87 |
| 2008/09 | 1.32 | 1.76 |
| 2009/10 | 1.47 | 1.97 |
| 2010/11 | 1.66 | 1.55 |
| 2011/12 | 1.47 | 1.76 |
| 2012/13 | 1.42 | 1.71 |
| 2013/14 | 1.42 | 2.26 |
| 2014/15 | 1.74 | 2.11 |
| 2015/16 | 1.61 | 1.24 |
| 2016/17 | 1.42 | 1.87 |
| 2017/18 | 1.16 | 1.29 |
| 2018/19 | 0.97 | 1.26 |
| 2019/20 | 1 | 1.24 |
| 2020/21 | 1.05 | 1.47 |
| 2021/22 | 1.32 | 1.66 |
| 2022/23 | 1.5 | 1.55 |
| 2023/24 | 1.71 | 2.39 |
| 2024/25 | 1.68 | 2.11 |
| 2025/26 | 1.5 | 1.97 |
The main caveat applies here most of all. The match records carry no referee names, and I have no card prices for these games, so the 1.64 benchmark is a frequency guide, not proof that any market has mispriced Liverpool. I'd also weight recent seasons above the 2018/19 low, because the club has moved back towards the middle.
Dossier verdict
Case closed- Separate the opponent first
Under 3.5 landed 68.5% of the time against non-Big Six sides but only 46.2% against the Big Six. Decide which Liverpool you're pricing before you look at the line.
- Lean over in derbies
Merseyside derbies averaged 4.12 yellows, with under 3.5 landing just 40.5% of the time. Treat it as a strong lean only, because the sample is 42 games.
- Back clean Anfield sheets
Liverpool went without a yellow in 33.8% of home games against a league norm of 19.0%. Away from home that edge vanishes, so don't carry the home profile onto the road.
Questions bettors ask
How many yellow cards are there in a Liverpool game on average?
Liverpool Premier League games averaged 3.10 yellow cards across 798 matches, against 3.35 for the league as a whole. Liverpool themselves averaged 1.38 and their opponents 1.72.
How often do Liverpool games go under 3.5 yellow cards?
Under 3.5 yellows landed in 61.2% of Liverpool league games, against 56.1% league-wide. That gives fair odds of 1.64 before any bookmaker margin.
Are there more cards in the Merseyside derby?
Yes. Across 42 league derbies the total averaged 4.12 yellows, with Everton on 2.43 and Liverpool on 1.69, and under 3.5 landed only 40.5% of the time.
I'm Tessa Bramwell, and I focus on yellow card markets, where referee habits, derby needle and what's actually on the line shape the numbers more than the names do.
View profile →
