Liverpool ended their torrid losing streak as Mohamed Salah scored his 250th goal for the club and Ryan Gravenberch netted on his return from injury in a comfortable 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield. The Reds were well worth the three points but had a slice of luck to thank as Emiliano Martinez presented Salah with an open goal to break the deadlock, before Gravenberch's deflected strike sealed the points for a Arne Slot's dominant side.
After six defeats in seven matches and four in a row in the league, nothing but their best was demanded of Liverpool and they showed great strides towards rediscovering just that. It was Villa who looked the more threatening in the opening quarter of an hour, though, as Morgan Rogers struck the base of the post with a fifth-minute curling drive before Giorgi Mamardashvili diverted a deflected Matty Cash cross onto the crossbar before thwarting Rogers from range.
Liverpool put the visitors under significant pressure at the other end, pressing Villa's defence effectively and forcing mistakes, and Dominik Szoboszlai should have opened the scoring after Boubacar Kamara lost possession, but his tame strike was straight at Martinez. This would be a warning sign which Villa did not learn from, as Martinez himself presented Salah with the ball and the Egyptian accepted his gift.
Another piece of luck would see Liverpool double their lead in the second half, as Gravenberch drove into space on the edge of the box and saw his low strike deflected beyond Martinez and into the net. When the visitors did look to attack at the other end, they found a well-organised defensive unit in their way and often resorted to wayward finishing from outside the box. Unai Emery's side were also fortunate to end the match with all 11 men after Amadou Onana appeared to grab Alexis Mac Allister by the neck during an altercation at a corner.
GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…
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Giorgi Mamardashvili (7/10):
His saves at 0-0 should not be underestimated, particularly the one from Cash's deflected cross. Showed why he is believed to be the perfect long-term successor to Alisson.
Conor Bradley (8/10):
His energy and ambition in the final third was exactly what was needed, while the Northern Ireland international barely put a foot wrong in defence and limited Villa to very little down his side.
Ibrahima Konate (7/10):
Has struggled at times so far this season, but was far more solid and imposing at the back as Watkins went missing.
Virgil van Dijk (7/10):
Marshalled the defence well as the Reds' struggling back-line returned to somewhere near its best. Made key blocks when he was needed.
Andy Robertson (7/10):
Justified his selection over Kerkez with some lung-busting play at both ends. He at times found himself in the striking position alongside Ekitike, though also made an important tackle to deny Guessand in his own box.
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Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):
Showed an improvement from recent weeks with a composed performance in midfield. Could have scored late in the first half had it not been for a brilliant block by Konsa, while the Argentine spotted the run of Gravenberch to assist the second goal.
Ryan Gravenberch (8/10):
The Dutchman was a big miss in three matches out with an ankle injury, and showed exactly why as he was dominant in midfield, continuing to add a goal-scoring touch to his game with his deflected second-half strike after breaking into space.
Dominik Szoboszlai (8/10):
Another stand-out performance by the Hungarian, who played a key role in Liverpool's highly-effective press and continued to be the Reds' chief creator. His inch-perfect delivery was headed home by a marginally-offside Ekitike, while the Reds' No.8 won the ball off Villa's defence on several occasions.
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Mohamed Salah (8/10):
Put his name up in lights with his 250th Reds goal, in what was a relatively simple finish but an important one. Created chances for Gakpo and Ekitike and looked closer to his determined best, causing Digne a torrid time for periods of the match.
Hugo Ekitike (7/10):
Scored in the first half with a well-taken header but had just gone too early to have the goal disallowed for offside. With Isak out injured, the France international continues to stake his claim to being the Reds' best striking option.
Cody Gakpo (6/10):
At times appeared too predictable cutting in onto his right foot, while he mis-controlled a Salah cross with the goal at his mercy and will have been relieved to see the offside flag go up.
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Florian Wirtz (6/10):
Replaced Ekitike as a make-shift striker and had little impact in his late cameo, as the only substitute Slot introduced in the match.
Arne Slot (8/10):
Made the right selection choices in dropping Wirtz and Kerkez to the bench, and his side's high press was a key factor in a crucial victory. Players stepped up across all areas of the pitch, and fan chants of Slot's name in the second half indicated a warm appreciation of the performance.
