ASTON VILLA 1-2 LIVERPOOL; REDS BEAT GERRARD’S VILLA AND KEEP TITLE CHASE ON COURSE.
Liverpool overturned an early deficit to win 2-1 against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Victory means the ‘Reds’ have won all 19 league games against sides in the bottom half at kick-off and, crucially, sees pressure maintained on Premier League (PL) leaders Manchester City.
The ‘Cityzens’ took full advantage of Liverpool’s Saturday slip-up, meaning dropped points tonight could see Pep Guardiola’s men crowned champions before Liverpool next kick a league ball. With that in mind, the UEFA Champions League finalists made the worst possible start when a Lucas Digne cross caused havoc in the box, allowing Douglas Luiz to direct his header goalwards. The effort was parried by Alisson, but Luiz was on hand to prod home and hand Villa a surprise lead.
However, with less than six minutes played, Jürgen Klopp’s self-proclaimed ‘mentality monsters’ were level as disarray ensued inside the Villa penalty area. The ball eventually broke to Virgil van Dijk, whose shot squirmed past Emiliano Martínez allowing centre-back partner Joël Matip to finish from close range. Miscues played a major role in both goals, and they remained a theme as Alisson nearly presented Ollie Watkins with a simple goal, if not for the Brazilian’s quick recovery. Naby Keïta should have swept the ‘Reds’ in front heading into HT, but yet again, poor contact was to blame.
A pair of Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kicks sailed past the goal frame before Klopp turned to Thiago Alcântara in search of a spark with 62 minutes gone. The impact was almost immediate when the Spaniard won the ball back for Liverpool to break at pace. Having missed a headed opportunity in the first half, Sadio Mané made no mistake this time, showing his predatory instincts to get on the end of a Luis Díaz ball and put Liverpool in front.
Danny Ings had several opportunities to foil his former side, even hitting the back of the net from an offside position late on. Despite his threat, quadruple-chasing Liverpool were able to see out the win to close the gap on Manchester City, trailing only on goal difference, albeit with fewer games remaining. Meanwhile, it was an unhappy return for Steven Gerrard as Aston Villa missed out on the opportunity to move into the top half.
