Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa: Ryan Gravenbirch and Mohamed Salah score goals as Arne Slott’s side show signs of being Premier League champions.
Liverpool got back to winning ways with a strong performance against Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday night. Goals from Mohamed Salah and the returning Ryan Gravenbirch sealed the win, as the champions kept a clean sheet for the first time in 11 games.
In fact, Villa were the better team in the early stages, with Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash both competing closely. Liverpool appeared to have taken the lead in the 43rd minute with a header from Hugo Ekitike, but Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross was found offside.
But just 180 seconds later, Mohamed Salah pounced on Emiliano Martinez’s errant pass to Pau Torres and fired his first clinical shot. Ryan Gravenbirch then ran down the middle of the pitch and his shot deflected wide of Martinez, doubling the home team’s advantage.
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Unai Emery’s side tried to claw their way back into the game, but were unable to trouble Giorgi Mamadashvili too much and took the three points, lifting Liverpool into third place. Here’s the mirror football buzz from Anfield:
Results over performance
Given how things have gone in recent weeks for Liverpool, their priority was to get the three points against Villa, regardless of their performance.
The first 20 minutes looked like it would be a similar story for the slot side, but they grew into the game and were definitely deserving winners. After Ekitike’s goal was canceled out, only one team really posed a threat.
With very little signs of conceding goals, title rivals Arsenal still appear to be moving into a new gear, albeit in a much different way. Liverpool have yet to reach the heights they reached last season, but this was arguably their most dominant performance in recent months.
slot is not droppable
Not a single Liverpool player has been able to claim glory in recent weeks, but considering he’s missed out on most of it, it’s fair to say that Ryan Gravenbirch can’t be blamed too much and Liverpool looked far better off starting him.
He missed the last three games against Liverpool with an ankle injury, but the pain in his spine returned against Villa. Although he primarily plays as the deepest midfielder, the Dutch international was often able to lead the attack with his presence and make Liverpool better in both boxes.
He took some time to adapt and Villa were in control in the early stages, but once he settled in he won six duels, made nine passes into the final third and proved his superiority in all areas, making it clear that there is no better player on the pitch.
Slott will not want to slam Grabenbirch into the ground, but he will need to feature in every Liverpool game from now on.
Salah in top form
Despite being one of the best goalscorers in the modern Premier League, Salah is at his most deadly when he doesn’t have time to think deeply about his shot, and his last two goals fell right into that slot.
Following his sublime touch and first goal against Brentford, he fired a low, right-footed shot into an empty net after a mistake from Emiliano Martinez. This goal took his total for Liverpool to an astonishing 250 points.
If Liverpool are to get back into the title race, Salah needs to be inside the opposition penalty area as much as possible. This season, the Egyptian national team player was widely missed many times and failed to make an impact.
If you put Salah in the right position, he will start scoring goals more consistently, which is likely to lead to another victory for Liverpool.
Real Madrid blueprint
Liverpool have started their next eight-day challenge in great fashion, and almost everything from their performance against Villa should be reflected in their Champions League match against Real Madrid.
It may not be possible for Grabenbirch to play another 90 minutes, even if he returns from injury, and the same goes for Mac Allister, who has struggled so far this season. However, barring any major injuries or fitness concerns, Slott should name an unchanged squad for the visit of Xabi Alonso’s side.
It would mean a new spot on the bench for Florian Wirtz, but his best performances for Liverpool have arguably come as a substitute, making him an exciting option to rely on.
Issues remain in midfield and defense
Slott went completely back to basics in his squad selection, with Alexis Mac Allister and Andy Robertson replacing Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkes in the starting XI.
However, there were moments when it hardly mattered as Giorgi Mamadashvili was forced into a number of saves and Villa regularly broke through Liverpool’s midfield. Morgan Rodgers was particularly troubled by his team in the first 45 minutes, with the Villa star hitting the post after some great work with Ollie Watkins.
There’s no denying that Villa are a good team, but it’s worrying how easy it is for the team to break through the lines and pass the ball around. There were many moments when Villa players ran into very wide spaces, at least 30 yards between Liverpool’s midfield and the defence.
It’s been an issue all season and still needs to be fixed.
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