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3. Aston Villa's defense continues to show tangible improvement under Gerrard
Steven Gerrard has done a more than satisfactory job in his first five games in charge of Aston Villa. The defense has been tightened up by the former Rangers man for good measure and that's evident on the pitch. Against Brighton, Crystal Palace and Leicester City, Gerrard's men gave away very few chances.
With Liverpool, it was bound to be tougher, yet they managed to restrict them to a single goal. In part, it was thanks to Emiliano Martinez. Even otherwise their defenders Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matt Targett put their bodies on the line more than once to make blocks. Ashley Young, who played ahead of Buendia, also showed resolve in defending while McGinn and Luiz did a lot of dirty work in the middle.
With a little bit of luck, they could have come away with at least a point from the game.
2. Douglas Luiz puts in a solid shift even though in a losing cause
Douglas Luiz played really well even in the game against Manchester City. His presence and absence can be felt in the Aston Villa midfield. On paper, the midfield of John McGinn and Luiz wasn't supposed to be troublesome for Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho. But on the pitch that was the case.
Aston Villa evidently wanted Liverpool to go through the wings, in which case they had the height to deal with deliveries inside the box.
Luiz did really well in pinging balls forward while playing out of the back and covering the ground to press Liverpool. He came out on top in nine out of the 12 ground duels he was involved in. He also made three successful tackles and completed 100% of his attempted long balls (5/5).
Although on the losing side, his effort was very commendable.
1. Mo Salah is inevitable
Salah looked to be on song from the get-go in the match. He slipped Sadio Mane through early in the first half which was quickly picked up by Martinez. After some time, he sent Tyrone Mings to the cleaners while getting the ball into his favorite left foot but was denied by Martinez down low.
In the 2nd half he continued in the same way, running at Tyrone Mings and winning a penalty before coolly converting it. As the 2nd half wore on, he was the center piece of every Liverpool break. He slipped in Diogo Jota twice, both of which should have ended in a Liverpool goal.
On his day, he cannot be contained. McGinn and Young had to put on a double team to try and contain him but he was still unstoppable. In the last 12 games, he has failed to score or assist only once. That tells you how much Liverpool need this man. He is inevitable.
