The midweek Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt seemed to mark the turnaround a week and a half ago after a poor period for Liverpool, but nothing turned out to be further from the truth.
Crisis at Liverpool: ‘Arne Slot must earn his money and solve it’
After the resounding 5-1 win in Germany, Slot & co immediately lost the league match at Brentford (3-2), after which things also went completely wrong three days ago in the League Cup. Crystal Palace won 3-0 at Liverpool, but Slot had not given the cup match priority given his starting line-up (all regular names were rested).
Of course, the league match against Aston Villa had that. With Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Gravenberch in the starting line-up, Liverpool went on the hunt for the oh-so-desired competition victory in front of their own audience. The last one dated back to September 20, a good month ago.
Mo Salah benefits from tinkering at Aston Villa
Liverpool took the lead in injury time in the first half through some fiddling in the Aston Villa defense. Unsettled by the rushing Gakpo, Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez pushed the ball into the feet of Mohamed Salah, who gave Liverpool the lead.
Arne Slot defends choice after cup defeat B-team Liverpool, but English media do not understand: ‘Big mistake’
Gravenberch scored the home team’s second goal after just under an hour of play. After Van Dijk intercepted a long ball from the Villa defense and delivered it to Gakpo, Alexis Mac played Allister Gravenberch, who steamed towards the enemy penalty area and lashed out. The ball flew past the hopeless Martinez into the ropes via Pau Torres’ leg. Donyell Malen (after an hour) and Ian Maatsen (fifteen minutes before the end) came on for Aston Villa, but were unable to turn the tide in their favor.
Who will Liverpool face in the Champions League?
The victory is a welcome boost for Liverpool and Slot, especially in view of the upcoming crunch matches against Real Madrid (Champions League, Tuesday) and Manchester City (league, next Sunday) on the calendar. The victory lifts Liverpool back to third place in the Premier League, although City and Sunderland can still overtake Slot’s formation later this round.
| Position | Team | P | GS | W | V | G | DS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | +15 | |
| 2 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | +5 | |
| 3 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | +4 | |
| 4 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | +9 | |
| 5 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | +7 | |
| 6 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | +4 | |
| 7 | 17 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | +1 | |
| 8 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | +10 | |
| 9 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | +5 | |
| 10 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | +2 | |
| 11 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | -1 | |
| 12 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | -2 | |
| 13 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | +1 | |
| 14 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | -2 | |
| 15 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | -3 | |
| 16 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | -8 | |
| 17 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | -7 | |
| 18 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 3 | -12 | |
| 19 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | -13 | |
| 20 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 2 | -15 |