Liverpool of a great Mohamed Salah resists the return of Aston Villa

Continuation of the 17th day of the Premier League this Monday evening with a perilous trip for Liverpool to the city of Birmingham. The day after Christmas, the Reds rubbed shoulders with Aston Villa at Villa Park. The teammates of a scorer Mohamed Salah did not fall into the trap set by Unai Emery’s players. A controlled and solid victory won by Jürgen Klopp’s troops (1-3) which makes it possible to forget the setback against Manchester City in the round of 16 of the League Cup on Thursday.

The first half was just a matter of formality for the Reds. On a magnificent cross from Andrew Robertson, previously served in depth by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool star striker Mohamed Salah opened the scoring with his left foot (5th, 0-1). A flying start for the visitors of the day. Faced with a feverish team from Aston Villa, often forced to make a mistake or losing the ball, the Reds believed they had chained in the wake of Joël Matip on a free kick from Robertson (20th), but the central defender was reported off-side. It was ultimately his defensive sidekick, Virgil Van Dijk, who doubled the lead with his left foot after a well-inspired setback assist from Salah (37th, 0-2). Twice, the Uruguayan Darwin Nunez got some great chances: first with a volley in first intention, well captured by goalkeeper Robin Olsen (29th) then with a header from a free kick shortly before the break ( 45th+1). At the break, Liverpool had already scored six of their eight attempts, a symbol of true efficiency.

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Watkins keeps the suspense going

After a double opportunity at the feet of Salah, repelled by Olsen, Ollie Watkins managed to reduce the score for Aston Villa with a crossed header (59th, 1-2) thanks to a well-measured cross from Douglas Luiz. A thunderous return from Unai Emery’s players who have not ceased to be aggressive, putting intensity on each counter action. As the Birmingham players began to take full control of the match, Mo Salah was able to find Nunez in depth but the Celeste striker crossed his shot too much which crashed far from the frame (76th). Entering the game in place of Jordan Henderson, the young Spanish defensive midfielder, Stefan Bajcetic definitively sheltered his team by taking a strike from Nunez repelled by the Aston Villa defense (81st, 1-3). It’s Bajcetic’s first Premier League goal in two appearances in the competition.

In the standings, the Liverpool Reds regained their 6th place ahead of Brighton and behind Manchester United, while the Villans stood still in 12th place. The locals will travel to Tottenham on January 1, while Liverpool players will host Leicester on December 30 at Anfield, as part of the 18th day of the English championship.