Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: Match Report & Arne Slot | OneFootball

It was a day to forget for Arne Slot’s men, as the Reds fell short 4-2 away at Villa Park in their pursuit of Champions League football. An Ollie Watkins double, partnered with a couple of brilliant strikes from Morgan Rogers and John McGinn, sealed the victory for the home side. 

Coming into the game, a victory for either side would guarantee Champions League qualification, but with both parties coming off the back of disappointing results the previous weekend, it was set up to be an unpredictable matchup. 

With Mo Salah and Florian Wirtz training during the week, that meant they were both named on the bench. Alexander Isak was not included in the matchday squad; he was absent due to a “minor Issue”, while Jeremie Frimpong also missed out, but the pair are expected to be fit for the final game of the season against Brentford next weekend. 

The first half was not filled with much action, with both sides not creating plenty of chances. Rio Ngumoha was the brightest spark going forward for the Reds, causing Matty Cash plenty of problems down that left-hand side. Apart from the youngster, it was evident Liverpool were struggling in attacking positions, with not many of the senior forwards fit to start. 

The home side did find the breakthrough three minutes before half-time. A corner taken short caught Liverpool off-guard; Rogers collected the ball inside the box in plenty of space and curled the ball into the top-right-hand corner efficiently.

‘WE ARE A MESS!’ | ASTON VILLA 4-2 LIVERPOOL | DAN’S MATCH REACTION

The second half saw Liverpool get the equaliser seven minutes after the break with a set-piece of their own. Dominik Szoboszlai, with a brilliant whipped-in freekick from the right, found the captain Virgil van Dijk, who lost his man, and he headed it home past Martinez brilliantly. 

It looked like Liverpool had found their rhythm in the game, with minutes later Ngumoha dribbling his way into some space outside the box; his strike hit the post and Gakpo could not divert the rebound goalwards. 

Moments later, a slip from Szoboszlai inside his own half from a Milos Kerkez throw presented Aston Villa with an opportunity, which they capitalized on. Watkins, with a smart finish underneath the Georgian goalkeeper, put the hosts back in front against the run of play. 

The next 16 minutes involved a series of chances for Unai Emery’s side. Mamardashvili made a couple of good saves, but it was not enough to deny Aston Villa a third. Another corner conceded by Liverpool this season, the second of the match, saw Watkins, with his second of the game, tapping home the rebound. 

Arne Slot brought on some attacking substitutions to try and get a goal back, leaving his side at risk of conceding one more, which they did. McGinn, with the fourth, curled it into the top left corner, a similar position to Rogers’ goal earlier in the match. 

The Reds did get a consolation goal towards the end; once again, it was the Dutchmen with the finish from a Szoboszlai cross. A milestone goal for Van Djik, marking his highest-scoring Premier League season for Liverpool. 

A defeat that now means the Reds have not secured Champions League football for next season, with one game left. If results favour Arne Slot’s men, then there is a possibility 5th place has been secured before the final game of the season at home to Brentford. A loss does leave the door open, however, of Liverpool needing to pick up points on the final day, with Bournemouth and Brighton behind. 

It would not have been the way departing legends Mo Salah and Andy Robertson would have wanted their final away game to turn out, the Egyptian managing to get on for 20 minutes while Robertson did not see the pitch. 

Has Villa Defeat Ramped up the Pressure on Arne Slot!?

Arne Slot gave his post-match thoughts… 

On the game: “After 2-1 it went away from us. Before that I think we started well in the first 10 minutes of the second half, then we had control of the game without creating chances — but that is not the first time this season. At 1-1 we were close to going 2-1, and then conceding the goal at 2-1 the way we conceded the goal is something we haven’t had this season yet. We have conceded a lot of goals this season which you’d find hard to believe unless you live it, and that’s what we did today. Villa were the better team after that and the game went away from us.” 

On doubts from the supporters: “I can understand at this moment in time they don’t have confidence or a lot of feeling that things can be much better next season, but I think they are underestimating what a transfer window can do, what a new start can do… I think we know quite well what we have to improve. One of the things we have to improve is very, very obvious; I would prefer not to talk about it here.” 

On his future as manager: “It’s not about me, it’s about us being disappointed with the result. I spoke yesterday on it and that’s enough. Our focus is on the Brentford game and making sure we earn the support of the fans by starting the game aggressive and well. The culmination of the fan support and a good performance will lead us to what we want to achieve, and that is qualifying for the Champions League.”