Liverpool welcomed Aston Villa at Anfield earlier today as they looked to put an end to their poor run of form at home in the Premier League. The Reds made a bright start to the game and dominated the ball for major periods of the first half. However, they were toothless in the final third and conceded the opening goal against the run of play in the 43rd minute when Ollie Watkins scored with a powerful strike. The Merseyside outfit had a goal disallowed just before the half-time break, much to the disappointment of Jurgen Klopp.
The home side made an encouraging start to the second half and equalised in the 57th minute when Mohamed Salah scored from close range. Both teams fought tooth and nail throughout the remainder of the contest but there was a twist in the tale as Trent Alexander-Arnold popped up with the winner for Liverpool in injury-time when he found the back of the net with a brilliant strike. The match ended with the Merseysiders securing a hard-fought 2-1 win at Anfield.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Villans.
GK: Alisson Becker – 6/10
The Brazilian keeper made some important saves but could have done better to prevent Watkins’ goal in the first half.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8.5/10
The English full-back didn’t take any chances at the back and looked assured defensively throughout the 90 minutes. He also won the three points for the Reds with a stunning strike late in the game.
CB: Nathaniel Phillips – 7.5/10
Phillips was strong in the air and did his best to keep Ollie Watkins quiet for a lot of the game. He also created some decent chances going forward.
CB: Ozan Kabak – 7/10
The Turkish centre-back kept his composure under pressure and produced a solid defensive display during his time on the field.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 8/10
Robertson was back to his old best as he marauded down the left flank with authority and conviction. He also played a huge role in the lead-up to Liverpool’s first goal. His initial shot was saved by Emiliano Martinez but fortunately for him, Salah was there to score the equaliser from the rebound.
CM: James Milner – 7/10
The English midfielder didn’t give the Villans a moment’s rest in midfield and produced an encouraging performance at Anfield today.
CM: Fabinho – 6/10
The Brazilian talent had a great first half. However, he struggled to win the midfield battle for a lot of the second 45 minutes.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch international was full of running but lacked creativity as usual in the opponent’s half.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7/10
Salah caused a lot of problems for the Villa defenders but was guilty of squandering some decent chances to find the back of the net. However, he kept his calm to score the all-important equaliser for Liverpool in the second half.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 8/10
The Brazilian striker had a goal ruled out by VAR. His link-up play was excellent but he ran of gas and got replaced late in the game.
LW: Diogo Jota – 7.5/10
The Portuguese striker went close to scoring with his header. Otherwise, he worked his socks off in stretching the Villans defence with his late runs into the penalty box.
Substitutes:
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 6/10
The Spaniard struggled to get a foothold in the game.
LW: Sadio Mane – 5/10
He looked like a player low on confidence and missed a great chance with the last kick of the game.
CM: Xherdan Shaqiri – N/A
The Swiss international didn’t get enough minutes to warrant a rating but deserves credit for setting up two promising chances from midfield.
