Aston Villa vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight
Live updates from Villa Park as Steven Gerrard meets Jurgen Klopp in tonight’s Premier League action
A slip from Steven Gerrard may have cost Liverpool a Premier League title. A team of his will not do likewise this year, valiantly as Aston Villa tried. For an hour, Manchester City seemed to be closing in on the crown. Liverpool looked like dropping points for the second successive game.
But there was no slip-up after May’s great catalyst intervened. Liverpool have trailed in all three matches in the month, but their powers of recovery have been aided by Luis Diaz. The January signing was the architect of Sadio Mane’s eighth goal in his last 10 starts. The Senegalese got a crucial winner at Villa Park in a title-winning campaign in 2019: this, earlier in the game but far later in the season, has the potential to be as crucial.
In an instant, Jurgen Klopp was rewarded for benching Mohamed Salah, whose goal drought, penalties and matches against Manchester United aside, stretches back to February. If Klopp picked on form, he was vindicated on a day when Liverpool struggled to reach their best as they were buffeted by waves of Villa attacks.
There was a sense that, 59 games into a marathon season, Liverpool’s strenuous efforts were finally catching up with them. They were stretched as Villa were the sharper side in the first half, but they have a resilience and Klopp has an array of formidable forwards and the three who started combined for a decider that felt further testament to the relentlessness of Diaz.
Follow reaction from Villa Park below:
Sadio Mane earns Liverpool comeback win at Aston Villa to keep Premier League title fight alive
A slip from Steven Gerrard may have cost Liverpool a Premier League title. A team of his will not do likewise this year, valiantly as Aston Villa tried. For an hour, Manchester City seemed to be closing in on the crown. Liverpool looked like dropping points for the second successive game.
But there was no slip-up after May’s great catalyst intervened. Liverpool have trailed in all three matches in the month, but their powers of recovery have been aided by Luis Diaz. The January signing was the architect of Sadio Mane’s eighth goal in his last 10 starts. The Senegalese got a crucial winner at Villa Park in a title-winning campaign in 2019: this, earlier in the game but far later in the season, has the potential to be as crucial.
In an instant, Jurgen Klopp was rewarded for benching Mohamed Salah, whose goal drought, penalties and matches against Manchester United aside, stretches back to February. If Klopp picked on form, he was vindicated on a day when Liverpool struggled to reach their best as they were buffeted by waves of Villa attacks.
Mane earns Liverpool comeback win at Villa to keep title fight alive
Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool: The Reds come from behind to move level on points at the top thanks to goals from Matip and Mane
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
Liverpool are just the second team in Premier League history to have three players reach 15+ goals in a single campaign (Sadio Mané, Mo Salah, and Diogo Jota), after Manchester City’s title winning side of 2013-14 (Yaya Touré, Sergio Agüero, and Edin Dzeko).
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
How crucial will Sadio Mane’s winning goal prove to be at the end of the season?
Full-time: Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
90+4 mins: Liverpool hold on and take all three points! Their run for the Premier League title is still alive as they draw level on points with Manchester City once again. They remain in second place though as City have a better goal difference.
Aston Villa gave the Reds a difficult night but Sadio Mane’s goal was enough to see them leave on the wrong side of the result.
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
90+2 mins: Virgil Van Dijk nips in front of Danny Ings as the ball is chipped into the Liverpool box. He turns it behind for a corner that Douglas Luiz curls into the middle. Emi Buendia wins it in the air but guides his headed high and wide!
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
90 mins: Four minutes of added time to play. There’s a little bit of nervous tension surrounding Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp is very animated on the sidelines.
Naby Keita takes a knock and is told to recover on the side of the pitch by the referee.
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
86 mins: Disallowed goal! Emi Buendia brings the ball through the middle of the pitch and flicks it over the top of the Liverpool defence. Danny Ings sprints in behind, brings the ball down and drills it low into the far bottom corner. It’s a superb finish but it won’t count as Ings strayed offside as the ball came over to him.
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
83 mins: Close! Aston Villa clear a Liverpool corner but the ball drops nicely for Naby Keita to have a go from range. He strikes his effort well but there’s too much swerve of the shot and it flies wide of the right hanf post.
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
80 mins: Ollie Watkins gets in a tussle with Virgil Van Dijk and trips. He seems to land awkwardly and pick up a slight niggle. Steven Gerrard was about to make a change and bring off Danny Ings but instead Watkins is the one replaced with Bertrand Traore.
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