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Liverpool and Aston Villa shared the spoils in a 3-3 draw the Premier League on Monday night as a dramatic late collapse at Villa Park saw the Reds concede twice five minutes from full time.
It took until just the second minute for Liverpool to go ahead when goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made a mess of Harvey Elliott‘s deflected cross, but the Villains didn’t take too long to equalise as Ollie Watkins cut back for Youri Tielemans 10 minutes later.
Liverpool restored their lead through Cody Gakpo, who tapped into an empty net after Martinez failed to clear Joe Gomez‘s effort out of danger, and the Reds went into the break ahead thanks to an open-goal miss from Diego Carlos and a shot over the bar from Moussa Diaby.
Liverpool scored their third shortly after halftime as Elliott’s free kick was guided in by Jarell Quansah. But then Villa came roaring back late on with a quick brace from Jhon Durán, the second goal a deflected control from a pass that looped over Alisson.
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Positives
Liverpool didn’t have anything to play for and were quite leisurely in their approach, taking advantage of counterattacks and not pressing with much intensity. They created plenty of chances at Villa Park, and were perhaps unlucky to not leave with three points.
Negatives
Liverpool’s run without a clean sheet in the Premier League goes on in a match where they should have defended better at times.
Manager rating (1-10; 10 = best)
Jurgen Klopp, 6 — Klopp was one booking away from missing his Anfield send-off and looked composed throughout the game amid a frantic ending. Not much he could have changed about any of the goals, with individual mistakes costly for his side.
Player ratings
GK Alisson Becker, 5 — Not much he could have done about Tielemans’ strike. Beaten twice by Jhon Duran after the restart, though he was unlucky with the second one. Produced an important save against Diaby after that.
DF Virgil van Dijk, 6 — Composed in possession when progressing the ball forward and unfazed in duels. Organised the line well when catching the opposition offside.
DF Jarell Quansah, 7 — Partly to blame for Aston Villa’s goal after being beaten by Watkins, but made amends in the second half with an unstoppable header past Martinez.
DF Joe Gomez, 7 — Looked the most alert of Liverpool’s defence and was often required to match the pace of Watkins. Involved in the second goal after his effort was redirected into the path of Gakpo. Used his pace well to stop developing Aston Villa attacks.
DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 6 — Took his time in possession and often made the right decision, helping unlock Liverpool attackers into dangerous areas consistently.
MF Wataru Endo, 6 — Pressed well to disrupt Aston Villa’s build-up play. Assured and safe in possession. A solid performance before being replaced in the 76th minute.
MF Alexis Mac Allister, 4 — Gave away the ball for the counterattack for Aston Villa’s goal, and could have gotten closer to Tielemans. Not as influential as usual, and at fault for Villa’s second after losing concentration before Duran struck past Alisson.
MF Harvey Elliott, 7 — Played a part in Liverpool’s opener as his cross was deflected off Pau Torres and Martinez in goal couldn’t hang on. Secured an assist with an accurate ball from a free kick for Quansah’s header in the second half.
FW Cody Gakpo, 7 — Gakpo picked up the ball in central areas to help link play and got Liverpool ahead for the second time in the first half by getting himself into the right area. Another promising performance by the forward, who has found form of late.
FW Luis Díaz, 6 — The Colombia international got into some promising positions but could have been better with his final touch. Narrowly offside when running through before cutting back for Elliott’s disallowed goal.
FW Mohamed Salah, 7 — A consistent threat down the right flank for Liverpool where he often got the better of his marker Lucas Digne. Took up intelligent positions to trouble the Aston Villa defence and impressed with his link-up play.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes = no rating)
Ryan Gravenberch (Elliott, 75″), N/R — On to help see out the game, but soon saw his side concede two in quick succession.
Darwin Núñez (Gakpo, 75″), N/R — Couldn’t get enough contact on his effort from range that was simple enough to deal with for Martinez. Had the ball in the net shortly after but was offside.
Dominik Szoboszlai (Endo, 76″), N/R — Almost involved instantly with a lifted effort that required Martínez to get a touch to.
Curtis Jones (Diaz, 76″), N/R — Uninvolved when introduced with Aston Villa enjoying the momentum.
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