45
19:23
Mid-term conclusion:
Then it’s a break, Liverpool leads 2-0 at Aston Villa. The hosts played well in the early stages and had chances to score. But two standards ensure that the Reds lead comfortably here. As the game went on, the guests took more and more control of the game and played further forward themselves, which is why the lead is okay. We’re curious to see if the Villans can hit back in the second half. See you soon.
45
19:21
Aston Villa got another free-kick just before half-time, 30 yards from goal in a central position. The Villans try a pass-flank combination, but that doesn’t pose a threat.
45
19:19
Again it is Alexander-Arnold who pulls a free kick from the right half field onto the first post. Núñez has run in there and is free, but misses the ball, which is why Olsen is able to save the attempt from seven meters. There would have been a lot more there.
45
19:18
Three minutes are replayed in the first section. Above all, the early injury interruption before the first goal ensures this second shot.
45
19:18
Official injury time (minutes): 3
45
19:18
Alexander-Arnold crosses from the right half field into the middle, but Konsa is there before Núñez on the ball. However, he does not clear this sufficiently and Henderson can start a drop kick in the center of the sixteen. However, the attempt ends up directly in the arms of Olsen.
44
19:16
Finally Buendia is played well again on the left side. The Argentinian actually has a lot of space and time, but the hasty cross ends up at Matip. The central defender clears without any problems.
42
19:14
Aston Villa are now trying to get into the break. Not much works forward, the pressure from the Reds is always too great for meaningful and precise passes to succeed. Olsen now has to save a back pass on his own goal line, but he does it well.
39
19:13
Again it was a set piece Liverpool used to score. The Villans are extremely vulnerable on dead balls, although they can actually keep up in terms of height.
37
19:09
Tooor for Liverpool FC, 0:2 by Virgil van Dijk
And the following corner brings the next goal. Alexander-Arnold crosses from the right, van Dijk first gets through in the middle, the ball flips to Salah on the left of the six-yard box. The Egyptian turns on his own axis on the baseline and cleverly returns to van Dijk. The Dutchman takes a shot from six meters on the left and hits the ball low into the right corner, Olsen doesn’t have a chance.
36
19:09
Oxlade-Chamberlain beats three opponents on the left in his own half with a great dribble. In the end he serves Núñez on the left, who pulls into the middle and shoots from 16 meters. The attempt is deflected and tumbles past the right post.
34
19:07
The hosts are no longer able to really put pressure on the Reds’ build-up game. So Alexander-Arnold from the right and Fabinho can build up from the center unchallenged. That can’t last long with this quality.
32
19:05
As the game progressed, Liverpool took more and more control of the game and are now better at defending. Aston Villa has problems to build on the well-played chances of the early phase.
31
19:03
Henderson sends Salah on the right, the Egyptian is caught in the penalty area by Mings. From eight meters on the right he then tries slyly to the short corner, but clearly misses the mark.
28
19:01
Olsen is there! It’s been a wild few minutes, Aston Villa is stuck in the opposing penalty area because Liverpool just can’t clear it. But there is no danger, and so Oxlade-Chamberlain sends Núñez with a liberation strike. Konsa tries to bat the ball away in his own half, but produces an arc lamp. Núñez volleys this on the edge of the box, but fails because of a great save by the Swedish keeper.
26
18:58
The Reds’ full-backs continue to cause problems for Aston Villa. With a bit of luck, the ball will come to Roberston on the left, who immediately crosses from the box to the penalty spot. Núñez has run in there, but falls into reserve and heads so far over it.
24
18:56
The corner is brought in from the right, but van Dijk fouls Konsa in the middle. So there is a free kick for the hosts.
23
18:56
Salah, Fabinho and Henderson combine well on the right, and the Egyptian finally pushes to the baseline. But Digne can block his cross to the corner.
22
18:54
The pressing of the guests causes Aston Villa problems, now Douglas Luiz loses the ball almost easily against Alexander-Arnold. But Young is there in time and returns to Olsen.
20
18:53
Matip heads in from the left after a free kick, but the former Schalke player was ruled offside. The goal is correctly not awarded.
17
18:50
Next chance, this time it’s Watkins’ turn again. McGinn crosses from the right half-field far into the middle, where Watkins starts a diving header. The ball is difficult to take six meters from the box, so Alisson can safely hold the unplaced attempt.
16
18:49
The guests are pressing enormously at all times, which leads to many long balls from the Villans. In doing so, however, they still manage to develop danger, despite the little possession that results.
13.
18:47
Big chance for Bailey! Watkins extends a long ball left into Buendia’s run, who then hits the first post flat. There, Matip cannot properly clarify in a duel with Kamara. As a result, Bailey gets a completely free shot at the penalty spot, but the ex-Leverkusener clearly misses because he didn’t hit the ball properly. That has to be the balance.
12.
18:45
Of course, Liverpool took control of the game from the start, while Aston Villa tried to be compact. The goal is bitter for the hosts. However, they have had good moments up front themselves, and the Reds are vulnerable to fast balls behind the chain.
9.
18:42
Bailey is released on the right in the penalty area, but fails from a tight angle at Alisson, who has no problems with this attempt. It’s a fast-paced start to this game.
7.
18:41
Great ball now on the other side, back into Watkins’ run, but he fails alone in front of Alisson by direct acceptance. The flag was up anyway, but it was a great save by the Brazilian.
5.
18:37
Tooor for Liverpool FC, 0-1 by Mo Salah
And from this corner comes the lead for Liverpool! Robertson crosses her in from the right, but it can be clarified first. Alexander-Arnold then brings the Reds’ left-back back into play with a great lob from the middle to the right. From there he immediately puts it flat in the middle, from eight meters the completely free Salah then easily pushes in.
4.
18:36
It can go on for both players. Accordingly, the corner is now executed with some delay.
2.
18:35
And it will also be dangerous on the other side. Roberston crosses flat to the first post from the left. There, Núñez incomprehensibly lets through, and then Digne can clear the corner for a corner. The Uruguayan could have done it himself, but probably thought Salah was in a better position. Mings and Olsen also rushed together during the action and have to be treated.
1.
18:34
The hosts have a first chance right away. Buendia sends Watkins between the central defenders with a lob. The striker gets a shot from 16 yards out under pressure from Matip, but the attempt is too weak and Alisson grabs it easily.
1.
18:32
Then the ball rolls. Aston Villa has toasted.
18:29
The teams take to the pitch at this moment, along with referee Paul Tierney. The game can start in a few minutes.
18:15
The duel between the two traditional teams has already happened 190 times across all competitions, with Liverpool winning 93 of them and Aston Villa winning 58. The last three games went to the Reds, but the Villans’ 7-2 win deserves special mention in October 2020. Of course we would like to see a similar goal spectacle today.
18:05
However, Aston Villa also has ambitious plans for the second part of the season. With new coach Unai Emery on the sidelines for three games, they are unbeaten in the league and looking to attack the top half of the table. They are currently in twelfth place on the table and have 18 points on the credit side.
17:53
The role of favorites in this first league game after the World Cup in Qatar is clear. Liverpool is playing a disappointing pre-World Cup period, but is still 7th in the table with 22 points. The team of ex-Dortmund coach Klopp wants to start the big race to catch up today in order to at least reach the Champions League places. Most recently, they played against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup a few days ago, but lost there 2:3.
17:44
To start, let’s take a look at the lineups. At Aston Villa, manager Unai Emery has called up Olsen, Young, Bailey and Watkins in the last league game before the World Cup break. Martínez, Cash, Ramsey and Ings are out for that. Martínez is still missing as world champion goalkeeper because of the extended vacation, Diego Carlos is injured. Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp makes six changes to his team, which has already completed a competitive game a few days ago. Kelleher, Milner, Gomez, Elliott, Bajčetić and Fabio Carvalho are replaced by Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Fabinho, Henderson and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Reds also dragged a few injury problems into the so-called second half of the season, Arthur, Díaz and Diogo Jota have to pass. World Cup finalist Konaté is still taking a breather.
17:36
Welcome to the Aston Villa v Liverpool match on the traditional Premier League Boxing Day at Villa Park. Kick-off is at 6:30 p.m.!