Liverpool went five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a hard-fought win over Aston Villa. Goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah secured all three points for the Reds, who got over the line despite not being at their brilliant best.
Nunez opened the scoring with a thunderous effort from close range, wrapping up a blistering counter-attack from the hosts. They could have been three or four goals up by half-time but wasted plenty of chances to add to their lead.
Liverpool took a more considered approach in the second half, making sure to keep hold of the ball and avoid taking unnecessary risks. They made sure of the points late on when Salah fired past Emi Martinez from close range after surviving a Villa onslaught.
Express Sport provides a full rundown of the Liverpool player ratings from tonight’s victory…
Caoimhin Kelleher – 7
Pulled off two brilliant saves in quick succession to deny Amadou Onana and Ollie Watkins from point-blank range. Stayed strong as Villa upped the tempo in the second half. Another fine display between the sticks.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6
Played well enough until he was forced off with an injury after just 25 minutes. Hopefully nothing serious. Will be looking to make a speedy recovery.
Ibrahima Konate – 8
Solid at the back. Used his imperious frame and positional prowess to snuff out most attacks. Had a blip when he headed straight into the path of Morgan Rogers but saw his blushes saved when the Villa man fired wide.
Virgil van Dijk – 7
Raced forward to play a perfect lobbed pass to Salah, starting the counter attack which led to Liverpool’s opening goal. Did his defensive duties well enough and was rewarded with a clean sheet.
Andrew Robertson – 6
Had plenty to do with Leon Bailey testing him in the first half but coped reasonably well and managed to push forward and support attacking moves. A decent display.
Ryan Gravenberch – 8
Contributed in defence with an important block to deny Jacob Ramsey early on. Bossed the midfield with his range of passing and used his smart movement to make plenty of interceptions. The heartbeat of the team once again.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6
Failed to match his usual passing standards and gave the ball away more than he would have liked. Found some useful pockets of space when the game opened up in the second half. Not his finest performance on the ball but his pressing was much better.
Curtis Jones – 6
Struggled to find space in a packed midfield. Lost the ball too many times and was sometimes guilty of holding onto it for too long. Would benefit from speeding things up, especially when playing further forward, but improved after the break.
Mohamed Salah – 8
Inadvertently got the assist for Nunez’s goal, being the last player to touch the ball before he was hauled down by Ramsey. Was at the heart of Liverpool’s attacking moves and got his reward with a late goal to wrap up all three points.
Luis Diaz – 6
Struggled to get into the game before the break but fared better in the second half. A relatively decent showing from the man who bagged a brilliant hat-trick in midweek.
Darwin Nunez – 7
Had the composure to round Emi Martinez and fire high into the roof of the net for Liverpool’s opener. Lost it again when he had the chance for a second goal but blazed over the crossbar. Got into some good positions but wasted more chances than he took.
Substitutes
Conor Bradley – 7
Took a while to get up to speed but settled into the game and played well, especially when Liverpool were under pressure before Salah’s late goal.
Cody Gakpo – 6
Missed a half-chance to double Liverpool’s lead in the closing stages but otherwise did okay.
Dominic Szoboszlai – 6
Looked lively when he came on and nearly found Gakpo with a delightful cross which only just evaded the Dutchman.
Wataru Endo – 6
Came on with five minutes to go and did his job in the middle of the park, keeping things tight in the final exchanges.
