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Liverpool came from behind to secure a hard-fought 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Tuesday, 10 May. With the victory, Jurgen Klopp's side managed to keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive.
Sadio Mane made the difference yet again by scoring a second-half winner after Joel Matip had canceled out Douglas Luiz's early opener for the hosts.
Steven Gerrard gave his former club a mighty scare after his Villa team took the lead in the third minute. It didn't last long, though, as Joel Matip leveled the scores in the sixth minute. Mane, however, had the last laugh after scoring a header in the 65th minute.
On paper, Liverpool were the dominant team, as they enjoyed 60% possession and attempted 17 shots while putting six of them on target. But the stats didn't tell the entire story as Villa were a threat all night long and put four of their nine attempts on target while missing multiple chances.
The crucial win takes Klopp's side to 86 points, level with Manchester City, although the Reds remain in second place thanks to their inferior goal difference. The Sky Blues will have the opportunity to go three points clear again when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, 11 May.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa remain 11th with 43 points from 35 games.
On that note, here are five talking points from a tight encounter at Villa Park.
#5 The game burst into life right from the first whistle
The Reds had more on the line coming into the meeting and their fans would have expected them to dominate proceedings.
Instead, Aston Villa flipped the script by finding the net as early as the third minute through Douglas Luiz. Klopp's side equalized less than three minutes later, though, as Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip combined before the latter poked the ball in.
Despite the stakes being high, Liverpool were unable to find a firm footing in what was a remarkably open first-half that even saw spurts of end-to-end action. While the Reds dominated possession (59 percent) and put three of their eight shots on target, Villa made six attempts of their own and matched the visitors for shots on target.
Naby Keita and Danny Ings were guilty of missing gilt-edged chances for their respective teams and both sides were fortunate to go into the break on level terms.
#4 Liverpool were hit by an injury to a key man
Tuesday's game was the Reds' third fixture in a week and came just three days after their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 7 May.
Although Liverpool desperately needed a win to keep their title hopes alive, Klopp wasn't afraid to rotate his squad. The German coach made the bold decision to bench talismanic forward Mohamed Salah as well as Thiago, who has been in excellent form of late.
Ibrahima Konate also dropped out of the starting XI but despite the rotation, the Reds suffered a blow in the first-half. Defensive midfielder Fabinho, who has been immense in the middle of the park this campaign, was forced off with what looked to be a significant hamstring issue.
Liverpool have another massive game on Saturday, 14 May when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Klopp surely had one eye on that fixture while naming his team today against Aston Villa. He will be sweating over Fabinho's fitness ahead of the clash with the Blues.
#3 Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane continue their fine run of form for Liverpool
The Reds showed greater intent after the restart and were rewarded when Sadio Mane found the net in the 65th minute to give his team the lead. It was the Senegalese forward's 15th league goal of the season and 22nd overall.
It also means that Liverpool have three players with 15 or more Premier League goals this campaign (Mohamed Salah with 22 and Diogo Jota with 15). It is just the second instance of a team boasting three 15+ goalscorers in the Premier League era (after Manchester City in 2013-14).
Mane's header was expertly set up by a cross from winter signing Luis Diaz. The Colombian winger has been a revelation since joining the Reds and was arguably their best player again on Tuesday. It was his third Premier League assist for Klopp's side.
#2 Aston Villa's inconsistency under Steven Gerrard continues
Steven Gerrard will always be remembered as a Liverpool legend and Tuesday's game against his former side was his 25th outing as Aston Villa boss. The 2-1 defeat meant the former Rangers manager lost 12 of those games while winning ten.
The loss brought an end to Aston Villa's three-match unbeaten run in the Premier League. Prior to that streak, though, Gerrard's men had lost four straight league games. They are currently in the bottom half of the table and are placed 11th.
It is difficult to be too harsh on Gerrard considering he only arrived at the club in November last year after Dean Smith was sacked. But Villa have spent over £115 million this season (including a club record fee of £34.5 million for Emiliano Buendia), and they will look back upon the 2021-22 campaign as a failure.
Gerrard is likely to be well-supported by the board in the summer window and is expected to oversee improvements after having a full preseason to work with.
#1 Liverpool just about manage to keep the title race alive
Douglas Luiz's early opener had Liverpool fans fearing the worst but the Reds managed to secure a comeback win.
The result took their tally to 86 from 36 games with a goal difference of +65. They are level on points with Manchester City but Pep Guardiola's men have a game in hand and are already top of the table thanks to their superior goal difference (+68).
Defeat to Villa would have left Klopp's side six points adrift of the Sky Blues and would probably have ended the Reds' slim chances of winning the league title. City are still very much in the driver's seat but have a couple of tricky fixtures to navigate against Wolves and West Ham United.
But for now, the Reds will enter their FA Cup final against Chelsea in high spirits knowing they are in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple.
