Liverpool faced off against Aston Villa at Villa Park earlier tonight as they focused on collecting maximum points on the road. The Reds made a poor start to the contest and went a goal behind as Douglas Luiz scored in the third minute. However, Jurgen Klopp’s men responded almost immediately as Joel Matip found the back of the net from close range just three minutes later. Both sides went into the half-time interval with a 1-1 scoreline.
The Merseyside giants were by far the superior team in the second half and managed to get their dominance count in the 65th minute when Sadio Mane scored with a great header. The Reds sat on their lead well and earned a narrow 2-1 win at Villa Park.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Villans.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian goalie made a nervy start to the game but managed to produce a solid display in the second half.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10
The English full-back was always looking to get involved in the final third and made some decent runs with the ball.
CB: Joel Matip – 8/10
Matip cleared the danger when needed and earned the ball back a couple of times for his team. He scored Liverpool’s all-important equaliser with a tidy finish from close range.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7/10
The Dutch sensation remained calm under pressure and managed to keep Danny Ings quiet throughout the 90 minutes.
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LB: Kostas Tsimikas – 7.5/10
He was solid at the back and was always willing to go to the byline and whip in some decent crosses into the opponent’s penalty box.
CM: Naby Keita – 7.5/10
Keita did his fair share of defending and made a handful of exciting runs with the ball from midfield.
CM: Fabinho – 6/10
He committed some cheap fouls before going off the field with an injury in the 29th minute.
CM: Curtis Jones – 6.5/10
Jones was a threat going forward but lacked quality in the attacking end of the field.
RW: Luis Diaz – 7.5/10
His pace and trickery caused a lot of headaches for the Aston Villa full-backs. He picked up a great assist for setting up Mane’s match-winner in the second half.
ST: Sadio Mane – 7.5/10
Mane was quiet in the first half. However, he came back strong and produced a match-winning performance in the second. The Senegalese talent scored Liverpool’s second goal with a brilliant header just after the hour mark.
LW: Diogo Jota – 6/10
He worked hard both on and off the ball but didn’t get too many sniffs at goal.
Substitutes:
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Liverpool captain helped his team control the game better at the centre of the park.
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 6.5/10
The Spaniard produced a nice cameo off the bench.
CM: Mohamed Salah – 6/10
Salah had a few bright moments but lacked the cutting edge in front of the opposition goal.
