Mohamed Salah’s goal was enough for Liverpool to beat Villa on home soil.
Liverpool defeated Aston Villa with a 1-0 result in their Premier League game on Saturday. Mohamed Salah scored a penalty for the Reds as they keep on chasing Manchester City on top of the table.
Gerrard returns to Anfield!
Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard received a standing ovation upon entering the Stadium. The 41-year-old is considered among the club’s all-time greats. He made 710 appearances for the Reds during his 17-year spell at the club, winning several trophies.
Today, however, he faced Liverpool as an opponent, leading a much-improved Villa team.
Salah to rescue!
Liverpool dominated the possession early on and created several chances in the first half. However, they were also lucky that the first half ended in a goalless draw as Villa missed a few chances too.
The Reds intensified their attacks to get the opener in the second half and finally managed to do so in the 67th minute. Following a clumsy challenge on Salah by Tyrone Mings, the referee awarded Liverpool a penalty. Salah himself took the penalty, scoring his 15th league goal of the season with a precise low shot.
Liverpool had the chance to extend their lead several times after Salah’s goal but could not use their chances. Following a swift counter-attack, Jota came the closest to scoring Liverpool’s second goal. After an inch-perfect pass from Mane, Jota controlled the ball inside the box, but Matt Targett blocked his shot.
Gerrard suffered his second defeat at Villa as his side remained 12th in the Premier League. On the other hand, Liverpool retained their second place on the table as Chelsea and Manchester City also won their matches.
Player Ratings
Liverpool: Alisson (6); Alexander-Arnold (7), Matip (7), Van Dijk (7), Robertson (8); Fabinho (7), Henderson (6), Thiago (6); Salah (8), Mane (7), Oxlade-Chamberlain (6).
Bench: Milner (6), Jota (5) Minamino (5).
Aston Villa: Martinez (7); Cash (6), Konsa (5), Mings (6), Targett (6); McGinn (6), Nakamba (6), Luiz (7); Ramsey (6), Young (6), Watkins (5).
Bench: Ings (6), Sanson (7), Buendia (5).
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