Aston Villa entertained Liverpool at Villa Park earlier tonight as they hoped to grind out a result at home. The Villans made a good start to the game and managed to get themselves ahead in the third minute courtesy of Douglas Luiz’s goal. However, Joel Matip tapped the ball in from close range just three minutes later to equalise for the Reds. Steven Gerrard’s men kept a good shape and got to the half-time break with a 1-1 scoreline.
The visitors were dominant in the second 45 minutes and managed to net the winning goal in the 65th minute when Sadio Mane found the back of the net with a great header. The match ended with the West Midlands side suffering a hard-fought 2-1 loss in front of their home fans.
Let’s take a look at how each Aston Villa player performed during the clash against the Reds.
GK: Emiliano Martinez – 6/10
The Argentine keeper made some solid saves during the game but will be disappointed after failing to keep a clean sheet in both halves.
RB: Matty Cash – 7/10
Cash kept things solid at the back and had some bright moments in the Liverpool half.
CB: Ezri Konsa – 6/10
Konsa made a few crucial clearances but didn’t do enough to keep Mane quiet in the second half.
CB: Tyronne Mings – 6.5/10
He was a dominant figure inside his penalty box and made one key chance going forward.
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LB: Lucas Digne – 7.5/10
The French talent had to do a lot of defending and mostly stood up to the test. He also managed to engineer two good chances in the final third.
CM: John McGinn – 6/10
McGinn earned the ball back a couple of times at the centre of the park but offered very little in the opponent’s half.
CM: Marvelous Nakamba – 6/10
He protected his backline well but got substituted just after the hour mark.
CM: Douglas Luiz – 8/10
The Brazilian midfield ace did his fair share of defending and had a good game going forward. He deserves credit for giving Aston Villa a shock lead early in the game.
CAM: Philippe Coutinho – 6/10
Coutinho showed a few glimpses of his brilliance but never looked like he would score or assist a goal.
ST: Ollie Watkins – 7/10
He worked hard to chase down lost causes but could last only 80 minutes.
ST: Danny Ings – 6/10
Ings initially struggled to get into the game but came alive against his old side in the second half.
Substitutes:
CM: Carney Chukwuemeka – 6/10
He added more energy to Steven Gerrard’s midfield.
CAM: Emiliano Buendia – 6/10
Buendia offered very little after coming on in the 69th minute.
LW: Bertrand Traore – 6/10
Traore didn’t get a sniff at goal.
