With an entertaining victory over Aston Villa, Liverpool made a triumphant comeback to Premier League action, resuming their effort to force their way into the top four.
Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and teenager Stefan Bajcetic scored to give the Reds a third consecutive league win for the first time this season, closing the gap on the teams in the Champions League to five points.
While Liverpool’s first match back from the World Cup ended in a Carabao Cup fourth-round loss to Manchester City on Thursday, Salah’s fifth-minute opening – set up by a combination of superb passes from full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson – gave them the perfect start in the league.
.The visitors’ advantage was cut short by Darwin Nunez’s wastefulness, but they were able to score a second before halftime when Van Dijk’s effort deflected in off Ezri Konsa following a corner. Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey both wasted good chances for Villa during a lively first half, but Unai Emery’s side was rewarded for their perseverance after the break when Watkins headed in Douglas Luiz’s cross.
However, two minutes after coming on as a replacement, Spanish 18-year-old Bajcetic’s first senior goal, which followed great work by Nunez to sprint for a ball over the top, dashed home hopes of a spectacular comeback at Villa Park.
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Liverpool is back in the top four.
Spurs’ draw with Brentford earlier in the day gave the Reds an early boost, and their first-half double left them in a position to capitalize.
After setting up Salah with a first-time ball across the six-yard box after Alexander-brilliant Arnold’s outside-of-the-foot pass, Robertson surpassed Leighton Baines as the defender with the most assists in tournament history (54).
Despite appearing to be in control at halftime, Liverpool faced a tough opponent and was relieved to add a late third after withstanding spells of sustained Villa pressure following Watkins’ lifeline.
Klopp’s team dropped 20 points in their first 14 games, two short of the total number of points they gave up.
Nunez proves his worth despite misses, so go straight to the greatest Liverpool stuff.
Alisson denied Liverpool’s opening goal and subsequently missed a chance from John McGinn’s back-post cross, while an off-balance Bailey failed to connect with the ball when well-placed twice.
This was another encouraging performance, as they are now five points clear of the relegation zone after victories over Manchester United and Brighton before the World Cup.
