Aston Villa defeated Liverpool 4-2 and leapfrogged them in the Premier League table, climbing up to 4th.
After two nonchalant performances in the league dropping points against Tottenham and Burnley, the Villans finally showed up.
This was much more like the side that thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the Europa League semi finals second leg. A team that was clearly up for it – and with all of their usual recent starters as well.
Except for one period midway through the first half and a brief one in the early second half, Unai Emery’s men looked better prepared to exploit the Reds’ weaknesses than the other way around. But it wasn’t just tactics that won them the game at Villa Park.
How did Aston Villa beat Liverpool?
Defensive discipline and escape routes
Apart from set pieces (more on that later), Aston Villa executed their defensive game plan almost perfectly.
Whether it was pressing man-to-man up high and nullifying Liverpool’s deep build-ups or sitting in a compact and zonal 4-4-2 low block, they offered no alternatives. And there were rarely in-between situations as well. They either went all in or stayed all the way back.
Emery felt so comfortable defending in open play that he made a simple yet significant change in midfield at half-time having to protect a 1-0 lead. Ross Barkley (originally an attacking midfielder) replaced Victor Lindelof (originally a centre-back) in the double-pivot alongside Youri Tielemans.
Lindelof had nothing much to do out of possession other than rotate and cover spaces. The Spaniard likely felt that Barkley could do that while also providing more quality and passing range for fast breaks.
In the end it was Barkley who gave away the foul for Liverpool’s equaliser. But he had a few quality moments making Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch look like complete mismatches.
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Going forward, they not only accepted the Reds’ high man-to-man press but actually embraced it. Neither Virgil van Dijk nor Ibrahima Konate were chasing Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins for long distances.
So Emery had one of them dropping deep so that they would have freedom to receive the ball and carry it forward. Villa were also ready to collapse into the centre of the pitch and accelerate whenever Liverpool failed trying to play down the middle.
The hosts had no trouble getting forward despite having less possession while the visitors could barely create any sort of danger.
Rogers looked loose and confident for the first time in quite a while. Watkins was looking for the ball, moving around and generating opportunities left, right and centre. Both ended up scoring and assisting.
Liverpool’s only weapon
They only started doing so when Arne Slot decided to widen Liverpool’s game a little more. They often found themselves trying to break through in the middle or in behind but with no success.
With more plays down the wings, they also generated more set-piece situations. Not only is it a valuable weapon to fight low blocks, but it’s also one from which they have benefitted massively in the past.
Virgil van Dijk eventually made it 1-1 from an indirect free-kick in the 52nd minute and scored a consolation goal from a corner in stoppage time.
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Opta accounted 47% of the Reds’ expected goals from set pieces (0.73 out of 1.55). But Cody Gakpo’s miss worth 0.56 xG carried most of the load for their open-play total (0.82).
While it took Liverpool a while to score from a set piece, it is what made them get into the game and turn the initial scenario on its head when it was still 0-0. For a good 20-25 minutes they were considerably better.
Psychological edge
However, this is when Aston Villa made most of their damage tonight.
Morgan Rogers scored a brilliant goal just before half-time exactly when the Reds were at their best. And the visitors have no one to blame but themselves.
One of the main stories this season is how Villa rely on long-range strikes and unlikely goals to win, especially from Rogers. To let him – and later on John McGinn – have all the time in the world to receive the ball, turn their bodies and curl stunning shots into the top corner is rather poor on their behalf.
And again, Ollie Watkins basically killed the game off following Van Dijk’s equaliser. Liverpool were just finding themselves after conceding against the run of play and then it happened once more.
It was just a one-goal deficit, but a blow from which Slot’s men couldn’t recover. Especially given the dramatic and unlucky nature of it, with Dominik Szoboszlai slipping while having full control of the ball.
From then on, they showed despair for the rest of the match. Countless times they charged forward in and out of possession with no plan, just trying to get something as quick as possible without actually thinking how to do it.
In one of those plays, everyone inside the box went forward while Federico Chiesa kept Pau Torres and Watkins onside. The pair tried a few times before the Englishman finally made it 3-1.
Villa had a good game plan and executed it very well. But what stood out the most was how they snatched Liverpool’s soul with timely goals against the run of play.
They showed more resilience and composure and ran out deserved winners – not only of the game, but also of 4th place in the Premier League table.