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:
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
74 mins: Chance! Salah links up with Alexander-Arnold on the right side of the box. The Liverpool right-back fizzes a pass into the six-yard box and almost picks out Sadio Mane but the pass is blocked. The ball rolls back to Alexander-Arnold whose second attempt at a cross is cleared away as well.
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
71 mins: Mo Salah is getting a run out and comes on to replace Luis Diaz for the last 20 minutes or so. He’s straight into the action as the ball is chipped over the top from a throw in. Salah sprints into the box and shoves Konsa away from the ball. He tries to take it around the goalkeeper but his touch sends the ball too close to Martinez and he manages to grab hold of the ball.
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
68 mins: Save! Alisson comes to the rescue for Liverpool after Danny Ings is played in behind. Liverpool’s back line is all at sea as Ings makes his run behind Van Dijk. He collects the ball but knocks it heavily into the box. Alisson comes flying off his line and when Ings gets to the ball the goalkeeper is on top of him. He launches himself at the ball and smothers it as Ings takes his shot!
GOAL! Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool (Mane, 65’)⚽️
65 mins: Liverpool are in front! Sadio Mane wins the ball in midfield and the visitors work it out to the left wing. Luis Diaz drives down the wing and whips a cross into the box. Mane holds himself onside, threads the gap in between the two centre-backs and guides his header into the far bottom corner!
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Liverpool
63 mins: Marvelous Nakamba is replaced with Carney Chukwuemeka for Aston Villa. No sign of Mo Salah for Liverpool but Thiago Alcantara comes on to replace Curtis Jones.
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Liverpool
60 mins: Nearly! Villa win a free kick deep in their own half and quickly fire it over to Matty Cash bombing down the right wing. He whips a cross into the middle where Ollie Watkins is hovering but Joel Matip nips in front of the forward and hoofs the ball clear.
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Liverpool
57 mins: Sadio Mane wins a free kick for Liverpool after he’s brought down by John McGinn. Trent Alexander-Arnold has another chance to shoot. This time he goes for the opposite side of goal but gets it wrong and scuffs the effort well wide of the far post.
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Liverpool
54 mins: Mo Salah is warming up on the sidelines which elicits some cheers from the travelling Liverpool fans. Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane link up to work the ball through the middle of the pitch. Mane knocks it across to Alexander-Arnold who dinks a pass into the box for Luis Diaz but Ezri Konsa intercepts and clears.
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Liverpool
51 mins: Chances! Philippe Coutinho weaves around Virgil Van Dijk and looks to shoot but the Liverpool defender recovers in time to block the ball. Aston Villa comes agains though and slide the ball into the right side of the area where Ollie Watkins arrives. His first touch is too heavy and that allows Kostas Tsimikas to get over and poke the ball away from him.
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Liverpool
48 mins: Close! Trent Alexander-Arnold sets the ball down for the free kick. He’s aiming for the top left hand corner and curls his effort over the head of Ollie Watkins in the Villa wall. Emi Martinez shuffles across to cover the ball but it curls too much and goes wide of the post!
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