Liverpool return to Premier League action with St Stephen’s Day win over Aston Villa

Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 3

This was not a vintage Liverpool performance by any stretch but there were glimmers of sparkle as they dispatched Aston Villa and put their foot back on the accelerator in pursuit of the top four.

Mohamed Salah got the ball rolling, equalling Kenny Dalglish’s goalscoring mark for Liverpool in almost double-quick time before Virgil van Dijk increased Liverpool’s first-half advantage. Villa deservedly replied through Ollie Watkins but a composed finish by the 18-year-old substitute Stefan Bajcetic for his first Liverpool goal left the away support rattling through their version of a Christmas classic. “Merry Christmas, Everton!” they sang as the celebrations continued.

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Klopp’s festive message to supporters touched on various themes, from his admiration for Love, Actually and the “crazy world we are living in at the moment”, to Liverpool’s Champions League final defeat in May – “Mr Courtois had a pretty good day” – and, most pertinently, moving to “within punching distance” of the top four. Within 37 entertaining minutes here, they had homed in on fourth-placed Tottenham, whom they are now only five points behind with a game in hand.

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This game was lively, sometimes so open it was silly and, occasionally, slapstick, a Wacky Races of sorts. Take, for example, the moment when the Villa centre back Ezri Konsa, facing his own goal, made a hash of a clearance that rocketed into the sky. When the ball dropped, Darwin Núñez took aim but his shot clattered off his shin and harmlessly towards Robin Olsen, who was deputising for Emi Martínez, the Argentina goalkeeper who became the first Villa player to win the World Cup. A photo of him kissing the trophy adorned the programme and more than a week on from the final in Qatar, Martínez’s crass celebrations remain the subject of much debate. This was only the third league game he had missed since joining Villa from Arsenal, where he worked under Unai Emery, who was appointed Villa manager in October.

Ollie Watkins poked an effort at Alisson with 42 seconds gone but Liverpool took the lead on five minutes. Salah’s goal stemmed from Andy Robertson’s corner on the Liverpool right, which was cleared as far as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool’s last outfield man about 40 yards from the Villa goal. He allowed the ball to bounce, took a touch and used a bit of residue fizz to ping a delicious pass into the path of Robertson with the outside of his right boot. Robertson took the ball in his stride and rolled the ball across goal with his first touch for the lurking Salah to tap in. Robertson’s smart thinking resulted in his 54th Premier League assist, eclipsing Leighton Baines’s record for a defender. It was Salah’s 172nd Liverpool goal in his 276th appearance, matching Dalglish’s tally achieved in 515 games.

Villa had Emery hopping and skipping on the touchline in frustration. Leon Baily miscued from outside the penalty area and moments later Watkins failed to generate enough power with a diving header after meeting John McGinn’s scooped cross. Joël Matip had a header from a Robertson free-kick disallowed for offside and Núñez, who was tireless but erratic and frequently flagged offside, then saw a scruffy shot deflected wide by Konsa. Tyrone Mings raised his eyebrows as he subsequently cleared the ball for a corner, from which Liverpool would profit, Van Dijk smacking in from a tight angle. A weary Olsen puffed his cheeks. Villa had been very much in the game.

Liverpool’s defence was creaking and with the hour-mark looming, eventually Villa were rewarded for their persistence. It seemed apt that in an error-strewn game the goal came from another comedic clearance. This time Alexander-Arnold inadvertently hoofed the ball from one side of the pitch to the other.

The ball landed at McGinn’s feet and he located Douglas Luiz, who sent a curling cross into the box. Watkins leapt in between Alexander-Arnold and Matip and steered his header into the far corner. Klopp must have feared it was coming. Watkins had an early second-half strike, also from a Douglas Luiz pass, ruled out for offside.

Liverpool never really felt the comfort of a two-goal buffer – their panic was typified by Alisson swiping at the ball under little pressure – but they restored their advantage with nine minutes of normal time left on the clock.

Núñez killed Joe Gomez’s flighted pass with a superb first touch and tried a shot at goal, which Olsen parried. The ball fell for Bajcetic, who calmly shimmied around the Swedish goalkeeper and tucked the ball through Mings’s legs for a strike he will not forget in a hurry. When Núñez was withdrawn for Ben Doak, the 17-year-old given his league debut with a couple of minutes to spare, there were high-fives all round on the Liverpool bench. – Guardian