Match Report
In the standings it was Aston Villa 4th on 65 points, Liverpool 5th on 60 — separated by 5. Recent form told a different story for Liverpool: only 14th in the league over the last five rounds despite sitting 5th. Per game in the league, Aston Villa were scoring 1.47 and conceding 1.29, Liverpool 1.66 and 1.39, against a competition average of 1.38 goals per team per game.
The head-to-head ledger counts 39 games: 8 Aston Villa wins, 23 for Liverpool, 8 draws, at 2.97 goals per meeting. Whoever hosts gains little here: home teams have taken just 36% of the wins in this fixture.
Villa Park staged the fixture, a ground that holds 42,640. Aston Villa led 1-0 at the break, and the second half added 5 goals for the 4-2 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Aston Villa: Ollie Watkins (57'), Morgan Rogers (42'), John McGinn (89'), Ollie Watkins (73') · Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk (52'), Virgil van Dijk (90')
Key stats
Possession: Aston Villa 45% · Liverpool 55% · Total shots: 14-16 · On target: 9-5 · Corners: 4-9