Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah each scored once as Liverpool defeated Aston Villa 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten record. An own goal by Matty Cash completed the scoring.
Szoboszlai scored the first goal of his Reds career with a stunning left-footed effort into the bottom right corner after a corner kick in the third minute of a match notable for the absence of the suspended Virgil van Dijk.
After a ferocious Darwin Nunez shot rebounded off the post and onto the helpless Matty Cash, who could only watch as the ball went into the goal, Jürgen Klopp’s team kept pressing forward and doubled their lead in the 22nd minute.
A few minutes later, Matip had a chance to increase Liverpool’s advantage but he mishandled a free header in the six-yard box following a gorgeous Szoboszlai free kick.
At the end of the first half, a lively Nunez, who had been given the opportunity to play after his exploits against Newcastle the previous Saturday, had a chance to score. However, his dinked attempt over Martinez from a tight angle was unsuccessful and bounced off the crossbar.
Cash had a golden opportunity to put Aston Villa back in the game only a few seconds after the break, but Alisson brilliantly clawed his free header away.
After Nunez flicked on a beautiful Andy Robertson corner for Salah to easily tap in from the far post in the 55th minute, Liverpool was able to end the match.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s slashing run and long-range strike were the only Liverpool opportunities in the final 30 minutes before he left the game injured. However, they were ultimately successful in holding on for a straightforward victory, moving up into third place before the international break, just two points behind champions Manchester City.
