Liverpool vs Aston Villa Player Ratings: Reds keep the pressure on Manchester City with a 2-1 away win
Liverpool took on Aston Villa in a Premier League fixture that meant way more for one team than it did for the other. With the Villans experiencing mid-table obscurity, the Reds had the chance to go level on points with Manchester City.
It was a fixture that would have brought back a lot of memories for LFC fans, with Steven Gerrard in the opposite dugout and Philippe Coutinho in their midfield. But despite conceding an early goal to Douglas Luiz, the Merseysiders fought back and won 2-1 on the night.
Here are the player ratings for Liverpool from their gameweek 36 win against Aston Villa:
Liverpool Player Ratings vs Aston Villa
Alisson Becker – 7
Alisson was probably at fault for the first goal in the early minutes of the game and could have dealt with the first header to not put it on a plate for Luiz, but was solid later on and made some big saves in the second half.
Trent Alexander-Arnold- 6
Was putting in crosses all game long as he tends to do week in, week out. Had a couple of good moments with the balls that he put in but otherwise, average overall.
Virgil van Dijk- 8.5
Uncharacteristically beaten in a 1v1 vs Philippe Coutinho but the Brazilian slipping with the Dutchman in front of him reminded fans why the colossal defender is feared by attackers. Was a rock at the back and attackers constantly looked like they wanted to avoid him and target other defenders instead. More or less assisted Liverpool’s opener.
Joel Matip- 8.5 (Our MOTM)
The Cameroonian had a decent game and while he could have perhaps done better for Villa’s goal, made amends by scoring an important equaliser. Did not seem too troubled otherwise.
Kostas Tsimikas- 7
Okay throughout the entirety of the game and did a good job in Andrew Robertson’s absence. Put in good crosses at times but was, more often than, average.
Fabinho- 5
Brought off in the 30th minute in what looked like a muscle issue on his upper leg. In the time that he was on the pitch, failed to make a big impact and instead committed some clumsy fouls.
Curtis Jones- 5
Invisible most of the times. Looked out of place in our midfield but perhaps it was the rustiness due to warming the bench for so long in recent weeks.
Naby Keita- 6.5
Naby Keita was decent in the middle of the pitch. Got out of tight spaces well at times and was important for the Reds off the ball as well.
Luis Diaz- 8
Liverpool’s best attacker on the day again. Was electric down the left flank and created the all important winning goal for Sadio Mane in the second half to hand us all 3 points.
Diogo Jota- 5
Not good enough on the day. Was shabby in possession at times and struggled to get into good positions. If tonight was anything to go by, Klopp would be wise to bench him in the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Sadio Mane- 8.5
Sadio Mane was good yet again. Always felt like he was going to make things happen when on the ball and got the all important goal to hand us the win.
SUBS:
Jordan Henderson- 7
Gave us good control in midfield but wasn’t really imposing himself on the game. Did a good job at number 6 in Fabinho’s absence.
Mohamed Salah- 3
Had a very poor game in the last 18 minutes when replacing Diaz. Took poor touches, weak shots, and made the wrong decision in the final third more often than that. He is really having a tough few weeks recently.
More Liverpool News
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- Transfer News: Barcelona chief Mateu Alemany reveals Gavi wants Camp Nou stay amid Liverpool links
Thiago Alcantara- 6
Came on for Jones around the hour mark and restored control for us in midfield. Wasn’t too active in the attacking phase for us but kept recycling the ball and maintained possession in a reliable manner.
