Liverpool vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction today
Follow all the action as Steven Gerrard returns to Anfield
There was no happy homecoming for Steven Gerrard, no “celebrating like a crazy devil,” no narratives feeding into future ambitions. The man he termed “100 per cent the best player in the world now” saw to that, firing in a low, hard penalty to further Liverpool’s title fight.
Mohamed Salah’s direct goal contribution ticked over to 14 consecutive league games, his 67th-minute winner deflating an Aston Villa side that departed without a shot on target.
The task was not to make it easy for Liverpool, but Gerrard’s men didn’t figure it would be this hard to conjure threat of their own.
The scoreline belied a story of enterprise versus total obstruction, with substitute Diogo Jota missing a glorious chance late on to make that more clear.
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Premier League scores
Just the three Premier League games taking place right now and here are the half-time scores:
Arsenal 2 - 0 Southampton
Chelsea 1 - 1 Leeds
Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
Lots of goals in London and none at all in Merseyside.
Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
Nothing to separate the teams after 45 minutes.
Half-time: Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
45+2 mins: After a couple of added minutes to end the first half the teams head into the break on level terms. No goals at Anfield and Steven Gerrard will think that’s half a job done for his Aston Villa team.
Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
44 mins Chance! It’s a lovely run from Mo Salah who brings the ball under control on the right wing before cutting into the box and weaving around Tyrone Mings. He rolls the ball onto his left foot and drills a low shot towards the near post but Martinez has it covered and makes a good low save to keep it out.
GOAL! Chelsea 1 - 1 Leeds ⚽️
42 mins: Chelsea are back in the game and Mason Mount has the equaliser for the Blues!
Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
41 mins: Villa are defending exceptionally well. John McGinn gets back to stop a cross from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with a sliding challenge.
Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
39 mins: Alexander-Arnold swings Liverpool’s seventh corner of the match into the box. There’s a scramble in the middle and the ball almost drops for Mane but Young hoofs it down the pitch as hard as he can.
Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
36 mins: Van Dijk pings a cross-field pass out to Alexander-Arnold on the right wing. He brings the ball down and knocks it inside to Salah who’s forced deeper by the combined forces of Matt Targett and Douglas Luiz. Good defending from Villa.
Liverpool 0 - 0 Aston Villa
33 mins: We’ve got a good game going on here. Jurgen Klopp seems like a frustrated man in the dugouts and Steven Gerrard will be happy with what he’s seeing.
Another cross from Alexander-Arnold is blocked behind by Douglas Luiz sprinting back into Villa’s box.
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