It was raining goals as Aston Villa made a dominant 4-2 win over Liverpool to secure their ticket to the Champions League next season. Arne Slot’s side and Premier League defending champions are now forced to wait for a top five finish after they were ripped apart on Friday night.
Ollie Watkins tormented the Reds throughout the night and was rewarded with a brace. Villa was the dominant side from the first whistle and took the lead shortly before half-time when Morgan Rogers curled home at the end of a corner. Liverpool staged a comeback with Virgil van Dijk’s header from a free kick in the second half.
However, Liverpool’s defence became a disaster after Unai Emery’s men restored their lead five minutes later. Watkins punished Dominik Szoboszlai’s slip with a finish into the bottom corner and quickly scored a third for Villa from from close range after Giorgi Mamardashvili parried a shot into a dangerous area.
The England striker then provided an assist with a a pass to John McGinn, who took his sweet time to pick a top corner from the edge of the box and condemn the visitors to another miserable night. Van Dijk managed a consolation brace for Liverpool but it was too late for the Reds who will now battle AFC Bournemouth and Brighton Hove & Albion for the final Champions League spot.
“We crumbled” – Slot says in Liverpool defeat at Aston Villa
Arne Slot has admitted that his Liverpool team were not good enough after the Reds crumbled 4-2 in the face of Aston Villa attack on Friday night. Villa were the dominant team throughout the night, with Liverpool making some attempts for a comeback which failed.
The Reds had a brief resurgence after they conceded the first goal before halftime and were rewarded with Virgil van Dijk’s equaliser in the second half. However, the visitors were poor in the midfield and defence, with their real threat coming from 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha. But the teen sensation was unlucky as his efforts smacked the post.
With the loss, Liverpool have now conceded 50 goals in 38 games in their Premier League campaign this season. Aside penalties, the Reds have conceded the most goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season (20).
“Now you are referring to the period where we struggled after the 2-1, but overall I don’t think the players deserve what you are saying,” Slot told Sky Sports after the game. “They did cope with this difficult away game and were fully in the game and able to maybe get a result. But I agree with you, after the 2-1 we crumbled, and we struggled.
“In the end we came back to 4-2, so they did not give up, but we struggled to control their pace, intensity and quality.”
