"Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League in style after leapfrogging Liverpool with a stirring victory that exposed the blind spots that have undermined Arne Slot's meek title defence. Ollie Watkins scored twice after Virgil van Dijk had cancelled out Morgan Rogers' brilliant, curling opener before Villa's captain, John McGinn, completed the rout from the edge of the box. Liverpool have now conceded a league-high 20 goals from set pieces this season, Rogers benefiting from a well-worked corner routine in the first half and Watkins in the second."
"For Villa, whose league form had been indifferent since the turn of the year, a confidence-inducing victory before Wednesday's Europa League final. On a sun-kissed evening at Villa Park, until Rogers' beautiful strike approaching the interval it was impossible not to detect the end-of-season feel flowing through the veins of these sides during a flat and uninspiring first half. Unai Emery presumably expected more given he named a full-strength XI despite the prospect of Villa winning their first major European final in 44 years just a matter of days away."
"Liverpool welcomed Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz back to their squad but Alexander Isak, the former only capable of playing only a few minutes, and Jeremie Frimpong dropped out with minor issues, meaning Slot was without nine first-team players, a quartet of youngsters named on the bench. Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: Premier League live Liverpool appeared loose in shape, Cody Gakpo leading the line, Curtis Jones popping up on the right flank and Rio Ngumoha, whose withdrawal against Chelsea forced Slot to explain afterwards that the 17-year-old was struggling with cramp, on the opposite wing."
"Gakpo rippled Villa's net after Emiliano Martinez spilled a shot by Ryan Gravenberch but was a yard or two offside. When Dominik Szoboszlai sent a swerving effort at goal from 30 yards a few minutes later, Martinez opted for safety-first, pushing the ball away with two hands."
Aston Villa secured Champions League qualification with a 4-2 win over Liverpool, leapfrogging them after a decisive performance. Morgan Rogers opened the scoring with a curling strike, but Virgil van Dijk cancelled it out. Ollie Watkins then scored twice, and John McGinn completed the rout from the edge of the box. Liverpool’s defending exposed weaknesses, with the match reflecting broader issues from set pieces, including a league-high 20 goals conceded from dead-ball situations. Villa’s league form had been inconsistent since the turn of the year, but the victory provided confidence ahead of a Europa League final. Liverpool entered with key attackers returning, while several first-team players were unavailable.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]