After a professional performance to put the Foxes to the sword last time out, Villa made the unenviable trip to Anfield to face Liverpool.
As Villa fans are becoming all too aware of during the Gerrard era, the history and standing of our manager in the footballing world means the media will find a narrative to peddle for just about every game for the remainder of the season.
This week saw the focus put heavily on Steven Gerrard’s return to Anfield. In his time at the club, he played over 700 competitive games, captained Liverpool for 12 years and delivered an impressive haul of trophies including the Champions League in 2005 after a legendary comeback against AC Milan. He also briefly assumed a coaching role in the youth set-up under current manager Jürgen Klopp in 2017.
The man from Merseyside has impressed just as much in his management of events off the field as he has of those on it, but the way Gerrard handled this week’s scrutiny was to be perhaps his most challenging yet.
As ever, though, the Villa manager was decisive and diplomatic, whilst nailing his colours unequivocally to the Aston Villa mast. In his pre-match conference, he even admitted that if he “was not the most popular at Anfield,” after the game he would not mind at all as it would likely mean Villa had upset the apple cart.
Targett Returns
Here’s how the two sides lined up the much-discussed ‘reunion’:
The hosts were forced into one change from last week’s victory at the Molineux with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replacing Jota, who had suffered a knock but was fit enough for the bench.
Villa seem to be adopting a ‘horses for courses’ approach and with Matt Targett back from injury, Ashley Young was preferred to Emi Buendía in the left forward role, perhaps for his defensive know-how to take on Mo Salah and the bombarding Trent Alexander-Arnold.
A Bruising Encounter
Against Leicester, Villa’s tricky forwards were on the end of some rough treatment, with 25 fouls committed by the visitors and Saturday’s fixture saw no let-up for the Villans as Jacob Ramsey was cynically taken down twice in the first three minutes, whilst the towering Virgil van Dijk pulled Ollie Watkins by the neck in the early exchanges.
After imposing themselves with some uncharacteristically poor challenges, Klopp’s side began to show glimpses of the scintillating football which has led them to a Champions League and Premier League trophy.
As Liverpool found their rhythm and upped the ante, Alexander-Arnold, Mané, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Salah all went close, but Villa stopper Martínez and his defenders were equal to the task.
For all their unbelievably relentless attacking football, which at times is truly mesmerising to watch, neutrals and rival fans will be perturbed with some of the shenanigans from their star men.
Both Andy Robertson and Sadio Mané spent time on the turf in the first half after very little contact, and on a day when pundits and supporters alike raised concerns over whether ‘fashionable’ clubs were getting favourable decisions, such devious antics going unpunished was disappointing to see.
Villa had looked dangerous when they could break, but with Liverpool pressing at a high-tempo, and with Fabinho and the Reds midfield breaking up the play masterfully, such instances were a rarity. Ashley Young, who was jeered for his Manchester United connections, provided the biggest threat for the away side, and almost gave Watkins a glorious chance to find the net after rounding Alisson, but he was bailed out by his defenders.
Under the Cosh
As the half-time whistle sounded around Anfield, it was the away side who were the happier, with a solid defensive display seemingly frustrating the normally free-scoring hosts.
If the West Midlands sides’ ventures into the Liverpool half were infrequent in the first-half then for much of the next half these were to become almost non-existent. The home side managed the game brilliantly and kept Villa pinned back even further in the second 45.
For all the excellent play from their dovetailing forwards, marauding full-backs and composed midfield three, Liverpool started to become slightly frustrated.
Argentina goalkeeper Martínez continued to show why he is one of the best in the business with some sharp stops, with a save from a van Dijk header the pick of the bunch. Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa seemed to be on the end of every attempted cross, Matt Targett kept the in-form Salah quiet and Young showed his experience in managing the game.
Salah the Difference Maker
But just as the Villa looked like they were going to keep the home side out, Salah stepped up to wreak havoc in the penalty area. In a tight affair earlier in the season, Son proved to be the difference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and in similar fashion Mo Salah, who is arguably the best player in the world on current form, provided the impetus for Liverpool to take the lead.
World class players make things happen, even when they are not at their best, and Salah is certainly in that bracket. He found space, isolated Tyrone Mings and then drew a challenge from the Villa captain. The way the Egyptian pushed his leg into Mings was clever and the way the defender was drawn in was clumsy, but on another day it may have been waved away. Stuart Attwell, however, was certain it was a foul.
Whilst Villa have a prolific penalty stopper between the sticks, on this occasion Salah’s spot-kick was unstoppable. Liverpool were deservedly ahead, but as Gerrard suggested post-match, the manner of the goal was both disappointing and unfortunate.
Ings’ Unlucky
The home side had chances to finish the game, but the last quarter of the match saw Aston Villa crank up the pressure. The three subs, Danny Ings, Emi Buendía and Morgan Sanson, all impressed, and the former Liverpool man Ings nearly won Villa a penalty of their own.
The striker won possession after yet another mix-up involving Alisson, and the Brazil number one swiped at Ings who looked to roll the ball into the Anfield Road net. The saving grace for the goalkeeper was his faint touch on the ball, although replays showed that his other hand caught Villa’s striker and halted him in the area.
There is no doubt it would have been of the ‘soft’ variety of penalty, but there was just as much evidence for the decision to be given as the Mings foul, with one important difference seemingly being Ings’ attempts to play on.
Liverpool saw the game out and over 90 minutes were great value for the three points. Villa fans will be delighted with the diligence and resilience of their side in defending in a compact shape for long periods against a frightening frontline, but the late foray showed that the Reds were there to be got at.
A sense of ‘what if?’ will surely plague Steven Gerrard who admitted his side did not quite achieve the desired balance in committing bodies forward and remaining solid defensively. Had Villa played more expansively earlier they may have nicked a goal, but there was always the risk of Salah and his red arrows then finishing the game on the counter.
Another Reunion on the Horizon
Nonetheless, Gerrard has only lost two games as gaffer and they have both come in gritty encounters with top class sides. The claret and blue faithful now turn their attention to a game with struggling Norwich.
If the media have ensured their narratives have dominated the discourse in recent weeks, Steven Gerrard taking on his predecessor Dean Smith will surely set tongues wagging. Villa will look to return to winning ways against Smith’s charges, who look increasingly solid defensively and boast some brilliant technicians in midfield but have lacked pace and composure up front.
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