Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa Player Ratings as Salah fires the Reds clear at the top of the table

Following the result of the Brighton-Manchester City game, all eyes immediately turned to Liverpool vs Aston Villa. With Liverpool having the chance to get 5 points clear at the top ahead of the international break, Aston Villa was the final hurdle in their way. The first half saw the home side take the lead, and despite Villa’s strong advances, hold firm to keep the lead going into the break. 

That said, the second half was a tale similar to the first with Liverpool using Villa’s set pieces against them, turning over possession into breakaways which just like their first, also yielded their second goal. Whilst the Villans did well to get forward, they lacked a certain cutting edge to find an opening and put up anything meaningful.  

All in all, the game made for an entertaining watch and barring a few fleeting moments of stagnancy, was pretty much end to end. Whilst Villa hustled to try and get into the game, it was Liverpool’s clinical and decisive counters that made the difference.

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Liverpool Player Ratings vs Aston Villa

Goalkeeper

Caoimhin Kelleher: 7/10- Was excellent in the first half making two identical saves from close range, to keep the pressure off of his team and exuded his usual calming presence on the backline throughout. 

Defenders

Andrew Robertson: 7/10- Was not too hustled by his opponent number and did well to make the most of it to push forward as much as he could. Barring a couple of nervy moments, Robertson did well to justify the manager’s selection. 

Virgil van Dijk: 7/10- Calm and composed at the back, the captain did well to keep things running smoothly from back to front and was physical whenever he needed to be. Although he nearly got caught out during a corner, he did well to shore up from then on. 

Ibrahima Konate: 7/10- Did well in his 1v1’s and often sent his man down a dead end. Despite a few uncomfortable moments, Konate managed to keep things tight at the back and in the end, was not too hassled. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 6/10- Had an unfortunately brief outing today, coming off midway through the first half. That said, Trent was his usual creative self, managing to find his teammates with some solid passes.

Midfielders

Ryan Gravenberch: 7/10- Played as the anchor in the base of the midfield, allowing Mac Allister and Jones to push up further between the lines. Did well to spread the play and turn over possession, at times aiding the fullbacks to clear up any danger. 

Alexis Mac Allister: 6/10- Was drifting in and out of the game, but did well to find himself in between the defensive lines. Also made sure to get back and reinforce the midfield alongside Gravenberch, which may have gone unnoticed by some. 

Curtis Jones: 7/10 Was very diligent and willing with his pressing, popping up in key areas of the pitch to help progress the play. Could well have nabbed another goal if he stayed on for longer.

Attackers

Luis Diaz: 6/10- Energetic, active, and gave his all throughout but was unable to replicate the magic from midweek. After being shifted centrally, Diaz still couldn’t create any magic himself but did well to try and set up his teammates throughout the 90 minutes. 

Darwin Nunez: 7/10- Did well to follow through when finding his goal. However, in typical Darwin Nunez fashion, he missed the easier chance shortly after. All in all, it was a strong performance from the Uruguayan striker who put in a proper #9-like shift. 

Mohamed Salah: 8/10- Another solid performance from the POTY frontrunner who played a big part in the first goal before neatly rounding off yet another counter with a goal himself. A handful and a threat throughout, Salah has been doing well to try and create more as well.

Substitutes

Conor Bradley: 6/10- Seemed slightly jumpy and nervous from the off, constantly lunging into tackles and hoofing the ball at first instance. That said, his passing when keeping the ball on the ground was much more secure and direct, and quite possibly the only positive from his performance today. 

Cody Gakpo:7/10- Showed a lot of good things when he took up his place on the left flank. Was direct and incisive, yet somewhat lacked the finishing touch and the right weight of pass to produce anything substantial. 

Dominik Szoboszlai: 7/10- Was very accurate with his passing and could have put one on the plate for Diaz if only for slightly better timing and luck. Looked active and if given more minutes could well have produced something substantial. 

Wataru Endo: N/A

Manager

Arne Slot: 8/10- Came in with a clear plan to keep things calm in possession and use the turnover to target the Villa backline, which was left vulnerable when their defenders went up for set pieces. A well-coached game and an equally well-set game plan from the Dutch coach. 

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Aston Villa Player Ratings vs Liverpool

Goalkeeper

Emiliano Martínez: 6/10- Did not have the best of games and at times game away possession cheaply with some of his distribution. Whilst the goals were not necessarily his fault, Martinez could have done better to deal with the breakaway for the first goal. 

Defenders

Lucas Digne: 6/10- Had his hands full (literally) with Salah and often needed to be bailed out by his teammates. Did well going forward and particularly delivered some very threatening balls from his corners. 

Pau Torres: 6/10- Had an average performance and was more attentive than the two centre-backs. Whilst his distribution was not bad, Torres sometimes kept the ball for too long whilst playing out from the back. 

Diego Carlos: 5/10- A rather poor performance considering that Carlos is usually pretty neat on the ball and with his distribution. Giving away possession on too many occasions, Carlos did not do his team any favours when he failed to draw level from close range with his header. 

Ezri Konsa: 6/10- Was mostly solid and kept Diaz at bay for the majority of the game. However, he struggled more as the game went on and seemed to be having lapses in judgment and concentration during tricky moments. 

Midfielders

Youri Tielemans: 6/10- Despite a shaky start, Tielemans managed to get a foothold in the game. However, his inability to sense danger and his habit of taking too much time on the ball kept him from delivering anything useful for his attackers today. 

Amadou Onana: 7/10- Was firm in midfield and had a certain presence about him, breaking up play and turning over position whenever he could. Marshalled his area of the midfield well and made some crucial interceptions. Nearly scored from a corner as well. 

Morgan Rogers: 5/10- Although he was busy and active throughout, Rogers had a poor showing, was unable to link the midfield and attack, and failed to create anything of note either. Despite nearly breaking away on a few occasions, his decision-making let him down today.

Attackers

Leon Bailey: 5/10- A rather uneventful performance from the winger who many were expecting to really go for it, considering the circumstances. That said, Bailey looks short on confidence and could do with some time more time on the sidelines. 

Jacob Ramsey: 6/10- Another one who had a relatively short game due to injury, Ramsey put himself in good positions to be an outlet for the Villa attack and was equally present to help out at the back. 

Ollie Watkins: 6/10- Offered an outlet on occasion and tried to get his field up the field. Was unable to connect with Rogers or set him up instead. Whilst he did manage to pick the ball up in good areas, he was easily led down the line or blocked off. 

Substitutes

John McGinn: 6/10- Delivered a few nice crosses into the box and was combative as he usually is. That said, he was at times wasteful and could have done slightly better to give his side an opportunity to score. 

Jaden Philogene-Bidace: 5/10- Was largely indecisive and lacked any urgency or confidence to try and produce something, despite being in good positions.

Jhon Durán: 7/10- Did well to try and cause problems in the heart of Liverpool’s defence even though he was mostly dealt with. Made sure to bring others into the play and distributed well when he had the chance.

Boubacar Kamara: N/A

Ian Maatsen: 6/10- Was not as comfortable defending as he was bombing forward into attack. Brought some energy on the left side and tried to threaten Liverpool on the counter as much as he could. 

Manager

Unai Emery: 6/10- Set his side up well but failed to take into account their ability on the break and prepare for it accordingly. Could have brought on more creative options off the bench and sooner as well. 

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