The only outstanding player for Liverpool was Virgil van Dijk. (Image: Getty)
Liverpool suffered another miserable defeat on Friday night as they suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa in the Premier League. Virgil van Dijk’s brace went in vain, Ollie Watkins scored twice, Morgan Rodgers and John McGinn also scored, and the hosts booked their place in next season’s Champions League.
The result means Arn Slott’s side still have ground to cover to join the Midlands club and will almost certainly need to beat Brentford at home on Sunday, the final day of the week. Here we evaluate the performance of Liverpool players.
He didn’t have much confidence on the ball in his one foray outside the area in the first half, but made a fine stop to deny Watkins. The third goal was disappointing, but this wasn’t his night.
We weren’t always confident in possession and there were some awkward moments at the back. I was warned and replaced.
Staying alert to Villa’s dynamic attack in the early stages, Liverpool settled in for the physicality required in the second half in a contest and gambled at the back before surrendering at the end.
Watkins was lost in Villa’s early chances, but apart from that he defended aggressively and his superiority in the air was clear, especially with his two goals.
He showed plenty of determination as he tried to deepen understanding with Ngmoha on the left flank and made a superb tackle to prevent Villa from scoring. They might have been able to shut down McGinn more effectively in the fourth as they had to do quite a bit of work in the second half.
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He was positioned much deeper than Liverpool’s other midfielders to protect the back four, and was eliminated from the game after parrying one shot. Replaced.
Although nominally deployed on the right-wing, his ability to frequently drift across the pitch and retain and distribute the ball proved useful. He was shifted to right-back towards the end, but was often absent when needed.
Virgil van Dijk reacts to missed chances. (Image: Getty Images)
Perhaps he was guilty of getting too far on himself at times, although he did pull a nice stop from Martinez from long range. Van Dijk scored both of his goals, but a disappointing miss marked the turning point in the game as Villa regained the lead.
He was slow to react in the early exchanges, but had a glimpse of a header before entering the game shortly before the break. In the final stages, he seemed more interested in frustrating Villa players than making a constructive contribution.
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Cash gradually gained the upper hand on Liverpool’s left flank, and his ability to weave through opponents and cut inside really turned heads. If you hit woodwork, you will get great results throughout the 90 minutes.
His influence waned further after the break, as he struggled in isolation with little quality supply for much of the first half. Replaced.
Federico Chiesa (Gomez 66) 4
He conceded an early foul and generally looked way off pace.
Florian Wirtz (for Gravenberch 66) 5
I ran a little bit, so I should be able to make it in time for next week.
Mohamed Salah (Gakpo 74) 4
It is difficult to recall just one meaningful contribution.
