Liverpool traveled to Aston Villa on Tuesday evening for a late match of the 33rd day of the Premier League. The Reds needed to win in order to provisionally level with City ahead of their match at Wolverhampton on Wednesday night. A goal achieved in pain, after goals from Matip and Mané.
In a meeting where there was no room for error on the Liverpool side, everything started upside down for the Reds. From the second minute, a first ball arrived in the area of Klopp’s men. He was painfully cleared, but finally recovered by the Villans. Lucas Digne had plenty of time to address his center, taken over by Douglas Luiz. The head of the latter was pushed back by Alisson on … Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian defender took the opportunity to conclude.
But like a champion, Liverpool knows how to react. Two minutes later, after a scramble in the area, Van Dijk took over a ball finally deflected with the fingertips by Martinez. Just like the Reds’ defence, Villans’ defense had yet to enter their game. A godsend for Matip, also alone against the empty goal, whose equalizer did not calm the pace of the game.
Liverpool lose Fabinho to injury
The actions were linked on both sides, but so were the faults. Impossible to counterattack, as each team feared the speed of its opponent. But the 30th minute brought a drop in intensity and the injury exit of Fabinho, injured in the adductors four days before the FA Cup final against Chelsea. Only a very good center from Alexander Arnold in the feet of Keita came to animate the end of the first period. But the failed control of the Guinean prevented him from concluding.
The movements were constant for Liverpool, but so were the missed passes and crosses. To counteract this, the Reds technician brought in Thiago Alcantara in the 62nd to replace the discreet Curtis Jones. What motivate Diogo Jota who sent a strong pass on Luiz Diaz whose center came to find the head of Sadio Mané.
Reds in management
A 2-1 goal brought a smile to Klopp’s face. And also a source of calm in the middle of the second period. Liverpool then controlled and got there perfectly. Even the return of Mohamed Salah did not change the face of the match. The fear of seeing the title fly away to Manchester placed Mané and his family surprisingly low on the pitch.
More fear than harm for the Reds, winners of this difficult match. Thanks to this result, Klopp’s men are provisionally tied on points (86) with Manchester City but remain behind on goal difference. On Wednesday evening, the Cityzens will again be able to take a three-point lead if they win at Wolverhampton.
Player: Kostas Tsimikas
Undoubtedly far from being the player with the most qualities in a Liverpool workforce with many talents, Kostas Tsimikas made a good impression on Tuesday evening. Always available, the Greek has often been present at the forefront. A precious help to overcome the difficulties of the attackers to combine, with a Diogo Jota who had his head elsewhere. Behind, the 25-year-old side did not hesitate to put on the costume of central defender to compensate for the absence of Van Dijk or Matip.