Aston Villa 3-3 Liverpool: Resilient Villains spoil Klopp’s final away game
Liverpool were held to a pulsating 3-3 draw by Aston Villa as Unai Emery’s men refused to be beaten.
The Reds are already out of the title race but were desperate for all three points. Instead, they found a resilient Villa in their way.
Aston Villa have won just one of their last 12 Premier League games against Liverpool, and an early own goal from Emi Martinez set off ominous signs at Villa Park.
The Argentine keeper gave Liverpool the lead, botching a simple catch before inadvertently turning the ball into his goal.
Villa did not buckle. They fought to get themselves back into the game, and Youri Tielemans pulled them level ten minutes later.
Ollie Watkins did some fine work out wide before setting up the Belgian, who blasted his effort into the back of the net.
However, they were not level for long as the in-form Cody Gakpo turned in another poor shot-stopping effort from Martinez. The Reds retook the lead.
Villa defender Diego Carlos missed a guilt-edge chance with the goal gaping. Moussa Diaby blasted a decent opportunity over the bar as Liverpool managed to take their 2-1 lead into the half-time break.
Following the break, Klopp’s men made the scoreline more emphatic, with Jarell Quansah meeting a gorgeous set-piece delivery from Harvey Elliott to give Liverpool a 3-1 lead.
The stubborn Villains refused to stay down, and Watkins scored before VAR ruled out the goal for offside. The VAR room was quite busy as they also helped cancel a Liverpool goal from Mohamed Salah.
On 71, Villa gave themselves a lifeline as Alexis Mac Allister was caught on the ball, and substitute Jhon Duran buried the gift in the back of the net to set up a tentative end to the game.
Duran bagged his second when he mistakenly knocked a shanked John McGinn pass beyond a hapless Alisson Becker to tie the game at 3-3. Both sides had chances to take the win, but it ended all square.
This thrilling encounter is the second to the last game of the Jurgen Klopp era at Liverpool. The Reds will now focus on their final clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers as they bid to give their manager the perfect send-off.
Liverpool Player Ratings vs Aston Villa
Alisson Becker (5/10) – His footwork was uncharacteristically poor throughout the game, and his mistakes allowed Villa in. A shaky showing on his 200th Premier League appearance.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (5/10) – The England international struggled to deal with Villa’s overload on the left side of their attack. Even his crosses today were not as sleek and failed to find their target.
Jarell Quansah (6.5/10) – Quansah netted his first PL goal against the Villains but struggled with their pace and physicality. The Academy graduate has bags of potential but a lot to learn.
Virgil Van Dijk (6/10) – The usually authoritative defender, like his partner, had issues with Villa’s devastating attack. Van Dijk was all over the place for Villa’s goals.
Joe Gomez (5/10) – Like most of Liverpool’s backline, it was not his best display in Red as he was given the run around by Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby.
Wataru Endo (7/10) – The Japanese midfielder was everywhere in midfield, snapping at heels and trying to win the ball back. It was a battling performance from the former Stuttgart man.
Alexis Mac Allister (5/10) – Mac Allister failed to impact the game in his initial advanced midfield position and gave the ball away when played deeper. It was a poor display from the former Brighton & Hove Albion star.
Harvey Elliott (7.5/10) – Elliott is a smooth operator and controls proceedings in the centre. He produced a terrific cross for Quansah’s goal and looked bright today.
Mohamed Salah (6/10) – Salah made some dangerous runs and found great openings but could not find the back of the net. He did create one big chance that the Reds failed to convert.
Cody Gakpo (7.5/10) – The former PSV Eindhoven captain has recovered from his dip in form and has been excellent over the last few games. He linked up play well and was on hand to finish Martinez’s spill.
Luis Diaz (7/10) – Diaz was lively on the left wing and carried Liverpool up the field with his electric dribbling. Again, he was found wanting in the final third and failed to deliver the decisive goods.
Substitutes
Dominick Szoboszlai (N/A)
Darwin Nunez (7/10)
Curtis Jones (N/A)
Ryan Gravenberch (7/10)