(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Aston Villa - Liverpool

Life-changing coach journeys for so many of the lucky ones that were able to travel to this sense of occasion tonight at Villa Park, and this place would probably feature too in the all-time list under this present manager, the late Sadio Mane, winner on the way to the title, the 5-4 against Norwich, Alisson's SOS at West Brom, and five at Old Trafford. I'm sure he'll save the main part of his coach journey reminiscing for Sunday though, he wants his team to finish up with 84 points, something more than solid for his successor to build on. What enforced change for Liverpool tonight, Andy Robertson had a minor problem in the Spurs game, he'll return to training next week, so Joe Gomez returns to fill in at left-back after five games coming off the bench in front of the watching England manager Gareth Southgate. Alisson, one of the strongest components of the Jürgen Klopp era, makes Premier League appearance number 200, so Jarrel Kwanzaa keeps his place ahead of Ibrahima Kanate, continuing to as Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott, so often Liverpool's super sub this season, gets another start on the right side of a three-man midfield. Two changes from the team that lost 1-0 to Brighton last time out in the Premier League for Aston Villa, Emi Martinez returns in goal, Uri Tielemans replaces Morgan Rodgers, who's not in the squad at all, Leon Bailey makes the 11 after coming off with a knee problem against Olympia Arcos, no doubting who Liverpool will have prepared for most. Ollie Watkins is a goal off 20 in the Premier League this season, but he's always enjoyed games against the Reds, five goals in his last seven against them. Jürgen Klopp, as mentioned at the top there, will put all of the ceremony, and I'm sure he's tired of it already, the long goodbye that so many people have been obsessed with, but the only thing on his mind tonight is to get one over on Unai Emery. First foray for Liverpool down this right side, then it's Eliot and Salah, and it's gone in! Calamitous from Emi Martinez, back in the Aston Villa team again. And I was just about to say how well Eliot and Mo Salah play together, Martinez probably thinking about how he was gonna bowl the ball out, and all of a sudden it crept through his hands. GARY GILLESPIE Well, this fixture has got a tendency to have early goals, but it's an early goal that you're really not expecting. Harvey Elliott does really well, he picks the ball up there and that, simple little pass, simple little give-and-go, and you don't think there's any danger whatsoever. It comes off Pantorres, I think it just takes a slight deflection off the big defender, the momentum of the goalkeeper just takes it and puts it into the back of the net, and Liverpool get off to a flying start at the expense of the Argentinian goalkeeper. Salah is the end ball again, Diaz might have just drifted offside as he gets the header in, and Gappo's coming in also with it off the post on that far side, but the flag does come up. GARY GILLESPIE Well, I think he was certainly offside, I think there was questions whether Mohamed Salah was offside initially, but definitely Luis Diaz, I think you could see he was desperately trying to hold his run. I'm not 100 per cent sure what he's trying to do with the header, I think in a position like that you've got to go for goal yourself. Watkins at his pace at the other end now, looking to take on Jarel Kwanzaa. Gets around him Watkins as well, big chance for Villa, equalising goal. Uri Tielemann's back in the side again, but he's done really well since he's come in, he takes the applause of Tom Hanks as well. GARY GILLESPIE Well, too easy from Liverpool's point of view, they lose the ball here, Alexi Mikhailovich is maybe a little bit guilty of trying to force the play, and then one-on-one Jarel Kwanzaa's isolated a little bit, but he should be doing a lot better, Ole Watkins just slows him up really well, but he's got that little bit of acceleration, and it's not just what Ole Watkins' goals this season, it's his assists, the best return he's ever had as a player, and this is another one here, gets to the by-line, but what a pass, what a cut back right into the path of Tielemann's. GILLESPIE Diaz at this back post, and McAllister making up ground here, that's his Joe Gomez, Liverpool with bodies forward, Diaz to Gomez, Gomez fancied it, so did Gakpo, flag stays down for now, would it have crept in from Gomez? He doesn't care at the moment, it's Cody Gakpo on the mark again. GARY GILLESPIE I'm sure this will be looked at, it was a quick counter-attack from Liverpool, initially from the ball out from the centre to the left wing, and then Liverpool, Gomez makes up a heck of a bit of ground here, if you just see him coming in your picture here, Mohamed Salah does exceptionally well because he makes the pass just at the right time, and the overlap from Gomez is going to be given offside, in all fairness I think, that is OK, but I think for me Gomez is offside. GARY GILLESPIE It's onside, it's gonna count this Liverpool goal. Goal. Liverpool 2-1 up. GARY GILLESPIE It just shows you how wrong you can be from having to look from your naked eye at the first reaction. GARY GILLESPIE Goal was scored on 22 minutes, and that VAR decision was given on 25 minutes. Three-minute delay to the game, and with a game as fast and furious as it was, it's not going to help players that, is it? And Bailly felt the full force of that. GARY GILLESPIE I'm not 100 per cent sure, in the end I think he misses his toes and the momentum of Bailly catches him in the shin. GARY GILLESPIE Just over ten minutes remain in this first half, McGuinn's ball in, looking for Pau Torres. Gomez couldn't get anything on it, Torres still in there. Tielemans wins out, Bailly's involved, Bailly with the shot on goal, and how's it stayed out? Tielemans rushing in at one end. GARY GILLESPIE Well, Bailly again gets to the by-line, and Diogo Carlos has stayed up from the free kick, and how he misses that, well, Watkins is right behind him as well, and had he just left it, I'm sure Watkins is gonna score. I mean, well, that's gotta go down as one of the all-time sitters. I know he's a centre-back, but, well. GARY GILLESPIE Here's the chance for one last attack, one last opportunity in this first half. Gakpo loads of space here, he wanted it early, Trent Alexander-Arnold might have just strayed offside, and the miss is from Mo Salah. GARY GILLESPIE I don't think he would have counted, I think Trent Alexander-Arnold looked to me definitely offside, but I was wrong on the goal. I don't think I would be wrong on that one, that looked pretty late-convincing. GARY GILLESPIE A touch was heavy from Bailly. Diaz to Cody Gakpo, taken unfairly by Diogo Carlos. Lively start for Harvey Elliott in that first half, he will want to be at the forefront again in this second period. Left four, Elliott, spins one in, and it's a header! Into the goal! From Jorel Kwanzaa, his first Premier League goal in this wonderful breakthrough season. GARY GILLESPIE Well, it's a wonderful header, again, as normal and as usual it will be looked at, but from what I see there, but what I know, I thought the first one was offside. This one certainly looks OK to me, it's a towering header, it gets up there really, really well, and he manages to hang in there, just gets wrong side, look at Deane, and he's big and he's powerful, and it's a lovely, lovely header, and it's just whether he can guide it on target. Post comes to his fortune, and that does look like Liverpool's third, and it'll be very, very interesting to see how Aston Villa react to that, and it has been given. GARY GILLESPIE Trent Alexander-Arnold might have played the two onside here, Bailly inside the penalty area, still good on his way, but Watkins doesn't, Liverpool's net again, and it's that man again. GARY GILLESPIE Watkins is offside there, but it's Bailly on the far side that will be in question. But he's clever there, Watkins, cos he takes up a really good position. GARY GILLESPIE We're just waiting for the... I think it's quite tight, but... GARY GILLESPIE The red line is on it, and that will prove that this goal will be ruled out. So, there's all kinds of nonsense going on inside the Aston Villa XI as well. So, we resume again with Liverpool and the 3-1 lead. Dignas could be in here, I think Dignas played them on, Salah in support if he needs him, Harvey Elliott, and it's in! And the flag does eventually go up. GARY GILLESPIE I think it's got to be Luis Diaz, but again, look at that. Wow. Is it Konza on the far side that possibly played them on? I don't think that's the offside decision. GARY GILLESPIE Down that side again, Saniolo's shot, big save from Alisson Becker. Saniolo again, back towards Luis, misplaced his shot, second opportunity for Bayley and spun off his shimpan in the end. GARY GILLESPIE Well, that was a good break opportunity for Liverpool, but they're under pressure again, it's too easy. I mean, Saniolo's got three, four, five yards of space there, look, that's just too easy. Here is Gravenberg, leaves it for Subberslide. GARY GILLESPIE That's fond memories of Aston Villa from his first goal. Makes a great run there from Mo Salah's pass, and it was a big hand for Martinez who kept it out of his goal. Salah can't play it to Darvin Nunes cos he's offside, but he can play it to Subberslide, who makes a lovely little run, and then he just tries to lift it over the goalkeeper, but Martinez is very, very good at that, he's similar to Alisson on occasions like that, when he makes himself big and strong and as wide as possible. GARY GILLESPIE Salah's ball was looking for Gravenberg, does find its way eventually from Nunes. Subberslide wants it at the back post, little chop from Gravenberg there, might fall for Nunes and Subberslide. Chance for Alexander-Arnold, and it needed it. The save right down the middle, but plenty of power on it from Trent Alexander-Arnold. GILLESPIE Well, he takes a gamble, does Trent Alexander-Arnold. You can see that he's not comfortable on his left foot, but by the way, what a shot, he strikes us really, really well. GARY GILLESPIE And the touch is a bit heavy from McAllister, not like him at all. Duran with the shot on goal, and it's gone in. Just a bit of tiredness creeping into things now, from a Liverpool perspective, and the substitute has looked lively since coming onto the pitch, Sean Duran. GILLESPIE It's a decent strike, isn't it? I think Virgil van Dijk's got to play his part on that as well, I'm not sure it's a ball he needs to be playing into like Alexi McAllister in a situation like that. He's got nowhere to go, Alexi. But you have to say it's a lovely finish by Duran, and that'll certainly get the crowd up for the last remaining minutes. GARY GILLESPIE Subberslide, that's better. Curtis Jones, ball for Nunes, who might just be on here... Against Martinez! GILLESPIE Well, it's Lucas Dean that's gonna play him on if anybody... GARY GILLESPIE Again it's close, Nunes confident, wonderful finish, and it is on, it's ruled out. Jürgen Dijk digging deep again. Wonderful play from De Javie, look at the Villa men forward, and it's gone in, and it's Duran again! An element of fortune about it, no doubt about that. But all of a sudden Aston Villa might have rescued the point, it could be a point that gets them Champions League football. GILLESPIE Well, they break the lines. They took a gamble with the substitutions, didn't they? I'm not sure he knows an awful lot about it. Duran, I don't think he means that, I think it just hits him. He's making a run, and as he's making the run, the ball just comes off him. Comes off his thigh, he knows nothing about this, really. GARY GILLESPIE John Duran, the fourth Villa player to score two Premier League goals as a sub in a match. And he gets some kind of cult hero worship now, and there could be another chance here for Villa to win it! GILLESPIE Well, this is a wonderful save. Liverpool don't defend that long ball, and De Javie, well, again, he had an opportunity in the first half, didn't he? But he pulled over the bar, at least he hits the target on this occasion. GARY GILLESPIE And it will be a massive cheer that goes up at Villa Park when this final whistle goes. And that whistle has gone, great respect between the two managers. Liverpool had it won a couple of times, and it's kind of told the story of their season, VAR involved. Appreciation to the following away crowd, but it's finished up here with a share of the spoils. Aston Villa 3-0, Liverpool 3-0.