Liverpool defied pre-match expectations with a thrilling game against Aston Villa and blew the visitors away with the most accomplished performance of the season. Jürgen Klopp must have been happy with a performance in which the Reds more or less dominated the entire ninety minutes.
The big talking point before the game was whether Darwin Núñez would be involved from the start. Klopp was clearly on the same wavelength as some fans, choosing to unleash his in-form striker on the Aston Villa top line.
The logic of that decision was certainly clear, with the Uruguayan having a great time behind the high line typical of Unai Emery. This time it was a series of attacks on the woodwork, but the first resulted in Liverpool’s second goal of the game, while the second was almost an insanely good finish.
Here are the four things Liverpool.com noticed during the match, including some sort of transfer message.
A moment that matched the shirt Dominik Szoboszlai didn’t inherit the number eight shirt directly from Steven Gerrard, and maybe that’s a good thing. Whether Naby Keïta has ever felt the pressure is only he knows, but the younger occupant seems free from such a burden.
Liverpool’s opening goal was certainly reminiscent of yesteryear, with the number eight lurking on the edge of the penalty area and delivering a superb shot for a corner to make the difference at Anfield.
Any parallels to Gerrard need to be strongly contextualized as Szoboszlai is just four games into his Liverpool career. But he can’t escape the equations if he keeps hitting the ball like that.
For Klopp, a goal threat from midfield is a welcome change, as his engine room is usually characterized by hard work and diligence. The beauty of Szoboszlai is that he also offers it in buckets: he is still in his infancy, but he has made a very good impression. Liverpool have a new pair
For years, a signature feature of Klopp’s Liverpool has been Virgil van Dijk’s great diagonal run against Mohamed Salah. Slightly less popular in recent times, a new version may now evolve. It was a more disciplined performance for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who often looked like a third centre-back. And in Van Dijk’s absence, he confidently assumed the role of attacking midfielder.
But Salah was not the main target of him. As the Egyptian has always been tense, Alexander-Arnold repeatedly opened the goals from the opposite side, picking up passes for Luis Díaz. It’s a new combination, but it looks promising. Klopp certainly won’t regret his decision to give Núñez the nod here. He was even more annoying than usual, with his skills perfectly suited to torture the Aston Villa defence. But any hopes that Newcastle’s performance could spark a winning streak were dashed here.
Ironically, the “worst” mistake was probably the one with the best result. He should have buried the chance that led to Matty Cash’s own goal and only found the post before the defender saved it. But in the end, the only ones who cared were Salah’s fantasy football owners, who were denied any help.
Núñez’s second contact with the woodwork was indeed a great effort. The chip was the only way to score from a tight angle, and he did well to get this close.
The third failure came at close range, but was anything but easy. Brought on swiftly by Salah, the Fantasy supporters once again stood head to toe as Núñez couldn’t decide whether to play with his head or his foot. Finally he piloted it right next to the pole.
His answer was a wry smile. When I talked about spending less time on social media and shutting out the negativity this week, it was nice to see Núñez shrug off the miss — and minutes later it was the eye-roll of him that finally put Salah on her plate.
Núñez has always had that ruthless streak, but he looks more composed than ever. As he continues to do the right things, he becomes an increasingly difficult player for the rest of the league.
