Arne Slot’s expression said it all as Liverpool narrowly avoided defeat against Aston Villa. Donyell Malen’s angled shot just missed the post in stoppage time, prompting a sigh of relief from the Liverpool manager, who typically keeps his emotions in check.
While a draw at Villa Park isn’t a bad result, a loss would have raised serious concerns for the league leaders. The draw keeps Liverpool eight points clear of Arsenal, who have a game in hand and could close the gap if they win against West Ham.
The true significance of this draw will be clearer after Liverpool’s next two matches. If they manage to beat Manchester City and Newcastle, this will be seen as a positive outcome. However, failing to win either could be viewed as a missed opportunity, especially given the number of chances squandered during the game.
Liverpool required a second-half equalizer from Trent Alexander-Arnold to extend their unbeaten run to 22 matches. Although Mohamed Salah had initially put them ahead with his 24th league goal of the season, Liverpool found themselves trailing at halftime after defensive lapses allowed Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins to score for Villa.
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The match was characterized by Liverpool’s wastefulness, with only three of their 17 shots on target. Substitute Darwin Nunez notably missed an open goal, a moment Slot acknowledged left one player feeling particularly down.
Villa’s performance, led by Unai Emery amid injury struggles, was commendable. They created chances and showed resilience against Liverpool’s early dominance. Despite being denied an opening goal due to an offside call, Villa capitalized on Liverpool’s defensive errors to take the lead.
The match’s momentum shifted when Salah capitalized on a mistake to score, but Villa responded quickly, with Tielemans equalizing before Watkins put them ahead just before halftime. The second half saw both teams create opportunities, but Liverpool ultimately salvaged a point thanks to Alexander-Arnold’s drive, which deflected off a defender to find the net.
As the match approached its conclusion, both teams had chances to secure a win, but the draw left Slot and Liverpool with mixed feelings, reflecting the pressures of a title race
At the other end, Szoboszlai’s effort took a kind bounce off Mings and Jota’s effort from the fringe of the box touched the top of the crossbar.
The next ricochet was not so friendly for Mings, as Alexander-Arnold’s drive clipped the defender’s calf and left Martinez helpless. By now the home side were wobbling and Jota went close again with a header.
Both Jota and Alexander-Arnold were taken off soon afterwards, with Alexander-Arnold looking particularly unhappy with the call. Nunez should have put the Reds in front with his first touch only to send Szoboszlai’s pass into the North Stand with Martinez stranded.
The Argentine is a man for the big moments though and produced a spectacular sliding challenge to stop Nunez seizing on a Mings error. Villa were still dangerous, though, and Morgan Rogers should have scored in added time before Malen just failed to hit the bullseye – and Slot’s reaction told the whole story.