Aston Villa vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result and final score after Stefan Bajcetic wraps up win
Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool: Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool in control but the Reds needed Bajcetic’s strike to seal the win after Ollie Watkins pulled one back
Liverpool beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Monday thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic to go sixth in the Premier League during a game littered with chances.
Striker Salah tapped in the visitors’ opener in the fifth minute after a sublime passing move from marauding wing-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. Defender van Dijk bagged Liverpool’s second in the 37th minute with a superb left-footed shot after being set up by Salah, who would have been proud of the finish.
Ollie Watkins put Villa back in the game with a smart 59th minute header across goalkeeper Alisson Becker, before 18-year-old midfielder Bajcetic squeezed in Liverpool’s third - his first senior goal - to secure the win in the 81st minute.
Goalscoring opportunities came aplenty for both teams as they peppered each other with high balls over the defences. Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez was a nuisance throughout, missing a string of chances including a well-saved volley after he plucked the ball from high over his shoulder.
The result left Aston Villa in 12th place on 18 points, while Liverpool are on 25 points, one behind old rivals Manchester United in fifth but a daunting 12 behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, who were playing later on Monday.
Robertson to overtake Baines?
Andy Robertson is level with Leighton Baines as the defender with the most assists in Premier League history. They both have 53 but Robertson could go ahead of the former Everton man this evening.
A hotstreak for Salah
Mohamed Salah has scored in each of his last four starts against Aston Villa in all competitions. Is five from five on the cards today?
Emery vs Klopp
Unai Emery’s only triumph in seven fixtures as a manager against Jurgen Klopp in all competitions was Sevilla’s 3-1 victory versus Liverpool in the 2016 Europa League final.
Can the Aston Villa boss finally get the better of his counterpart once again?
Will Klopp match Poch’s record?
Liverpool are looking to win three top-flight fixtures in a row for the first time this season. If they do so Jurgen Klopp would match Mauricio Pochettino’s Premier League record of five wins from as many Boxing Day fixtures as a manager.
What do we want to see from the Premier League restart?
A strange new sequence in the Premier League season will begin on Boxing Day, as the top flight returns after a month-long pause.
Domestic action was put on hold due to the Qatar World Cup, and there is no rest for the stars of that tournament, as the Premier League restarts on Monday 26 December – just a few days after we saw Carabao Cup action play out.
Arsenal have a five-point lead atop the table, with defending champions Manchester City gunning for the Gunners, while Newcastle are flying high in third.
Elsewhere, West Ham and Everton are struggling stalwarts of the division. But what next? Below, we look at what we want to happen, more so than what we think will happen...
What do we want to see from the Premier League restart?
Our writers look ahead to the rest of the season, as Boxing Day ushers in a strange new sequence in the Premier League campaign
Will Liverpool emulate Manchester United?
Liverpool have won five consecutive Boxing Day games by an aggregate score of 15-0 since a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City in 2013.
They can equal the top-flight record for most successive Boxing Day clean sheets: six by Manchester United from 1996 to 2001.
Boxing Day voodoo
Aston Villa have lost an unrivalled seven Boxing Day home games in the Premier League. Can they break their curse tonight?
Unai Emery to discuss World Cup celebrations with Aston Villa goalkeeper
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has said he will speak to goalkeeper Emi Martinez about his celebrations following Argentina’s World Cup triumph.
Martinez saved a penalty from Kingsley Coman in the shoot-out showdown with France in the final, and pulled off a last-gasp save to keep out Randal Kolo Muani in extra time, but the 30-year-old has come into the spotlight following some of his celebrations.
Martinez has not yet returned to training since the World Cup as he enjoys a period of rest, but despite being proud of his achievements, Emery admits he will have a word with him when he gets back.
Emery to discuss World Cup celebrations with Argentina and Villa keeper Martinez
The Argentina No1 mocked Kylian Mbappe on the team’s victory parade and made an obscene gesture after receiving his golden glove award
A poor start for Liverpool
Liverpool, in sixth, are outside the top four on Christmas Day for the first time since 2015/16 when Jurgen Klopp had been manager for only two months.
The Reds have dropped 20 points in their 14 league matches this season. They only dropped 22 points in the whole of 2021/22.
Will Villa win again?
Aston Villa have won three of their last four league matches, including both under Unai Emery. They had only managed two victories in their final 15 attempts under Steven Gerrard (five draws, eight defeats).
The midlands side can also earn three consecutive Premier League home wins in a season for the first time since a run of four from August to October 2007.
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