December 11, (THEWILL) – On a tense Anfield return for Steven Gerrard, a Mo Salah penalty was just enough to see Liverpool beat an ever-improving Aston Villa team, that has positively profited from Gerrard’s time at Villa Park.
Until Tyrone Mings tumbled him in the box, the Egyptian was a menacing blur without generating a clear cut chance. Liverpool never looked back after securing a modest finish. Regardless of the outcome, new boss Gerrard will be pleased with his team’s performance.
Since he took over, they have looked lot more assured in possession, and they now represent a greater danger moving forward. Although this was always going to be a free hit for his team, Gerrard would have been desperate to do well.
From the first whistle, Liverpool attempted to set the tone and swarmed on Martinez in the Villa goal. The visitors looked lot more secure after players like Marvelous Nakamba and Ashley Young got on the ball.
The game plan was clear: give Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold the run of the flanks and clean up the threat as it approached the box’s edge.
It was a risky move, but it worked for Gerrard’s team in the first half.
Salah’s excellent right-footed footwork was the source of Liverpool’s opportunities in the first half. As he and Mane turned the Villa full-backs inside out, the only thing he was missing was his goal. Aston Villa, on the other hand, had their own chances.
Villa had a peek at goal, led by one of the league’s veterans, the 36-year-old Young, thanks to uncharacteristically weak displays by Virgin Van Dijk and Allison in goal.
Liverpool surged out of the blocks in the second half, putting pressure on the Aston Villa goal once again. Salah was directing lay-offs and shimmies from his own personal domain in the Villa box, but he was unable to create any clear chances.
Villa nearly always managed to create a wall at the backline, causing displeasure among the Anfield audience. Tyrone Mings was amazing until he threw Salah out with some shoddy defending leading to the penalty that Salah calmly delivered to the bottom right corner of Martinez’s goal.
The goal meant that Salah has now scored or assisted a goal in 14 straight Premier League outings, one short of Jamie Vardy’s record of 15 between August and December 2015.
The Egyptian continued to buzz and menace, causing enough difficulties at the back for Aston Villa to be afraid of pushing forward for the equaliser.
Villa found a focal point when Danny Ings, a Liverpool old boy, came on late in the game. Unfortunately, he was not on the field for long enough to make an impact.
The visitors went into a flurry late in the game, but Liverpool’s talent and intensity demonstrated to Gerrard exactly how far they are from the summit of the top flight. Although the new Aston Villa manager was enthusiastically welcomed back to Anfield, the generosity of spirit was short-lived.
It was all about the outcome for Liverpool, who had seen Manchester City extend their lead in the early kick-off by defeating Wolves. Jurgen Klopp will be disappointed that his team did not score more goals, but this was an emotional moment that deserved to be completed.
Gerrard would never be satisfied with a defeat, but he can be pleased with how far this team has come in just five games.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
