Mathieu Warnier, Media365, published on Saturday November 9, 2024 at 11:25 p.m.
After the defeat of Manchester City, Liverpool got the better of Aston Villa (2-0) and took a five-point lead in the Premier League standings.
Liverpool did not miss the opportunity. While Manchester City confirmed their current difficulties with a defeat at Brighton, the Reds could widen the gap at the top of the Premier League. In front of their Anfield crowd, Arne Slot's players achieved their goal. While the start of the match saw the two teams going blow for blow, it was in the 20th minute that Liverpool broke away on the scoreboard. At the end of a counter initiated by a headed ball from Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Nuñez left Dibu Martinez no chance with a shot from a tight angle. A happiness which was immediately overshadowed by the injury exit of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who complained of his right thigh. Conor Bradley then took the place of the Reds' right-back. Darwin Nuñez, for his part, did not come close to adding to the score after half an hour of play but he did not catch the target after being launched by Mohamed Salah. The end of the first act saw the Villans try to react
Salah ended the suspense
However, Amadou Onana then Diego Carlos failed against Caoihmin Kelleher's cage. Arne Slot's speech at the break had an effect because the Reds returned to the pitch with a different state of mind. After only three minutes, Darwin Nuñez showed his advantage but the finish was not there. As the hour mark approached, Aston Villa could have benefited from a penalty for a rough intervention by Conor Bradley on Youri Tielemans but, after intervention by the VAR, the referee did not take action. Both teams brought in fresh blood for the end of the match but it was Liverpool who controlled the situation. Indeed, six minutes from the end of regulation time, Mohamed Salah ended the suspense by concluding a counter launched by Dominik Szobboszlai with an unstoppable dive ball for Dibu Martinez. The die was cast. Liverpool won without a shot (2-0) and pushed Manchester City to five points. Aston Villa, with this second defeat in a row, temporarily falls to eighth place.
