Liverpool missed chances in both halves as they had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Villa Park vs. Aston Villa on February 19th. Mohamed Salah opened the game with a goal and Trent Alexander-Arnold levelled in the 61st minute after Aston Villa had taken a 2-1 lead just before halftime.
First Half
The Reds got off to a bright start, getting shots from Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones. From that point, Aston Villa began to work their way back into the game as Marcus Rashford tested Alisson with a shot in the 13th minute.
Ollie Watkins put the ball in the back of the net moments later, but he was whistled for offsides. That seemed to wake Liverpool up as Jota and Dominik Szoboszlai produced near misses. Mohamed Salah also missed a header in the 26th minute.
That pressure paid off in the 29th minute as a bad giveaway found Jota. He slid the ball to Salah in the centre of the box and the Egyptian King did not miss from there, as Liverpool led 1-0.
Aston Villa equalised in the 38th minute when Youri Tielemans scored after Liverpool failed to send away a good clearance. Liverpool had two wonderful chances to retake the lead as Jota and Jones missed open nets. Villa seized on the opportunity and took the lead when Ollie Watkins scored in stoppage time to give Villa a 2-1 lead at the break.
First Half Analysis
Liverpool are not playing poorly, but they are not taking advantage of their chances. They outshot Villa 10-3. If that trend continues, Liverpool are still in a good position to come back and pick up at least a point.
Second Half
Marcus Rashford nearly scored to start the second half as he beat Alisson, but Ibrahima Konate cleared the shot off the line. The Reds earned a trio of corners in the 55th minute, but they leaked a finish in the final third.
Szoboszlai forced a save moments later and Jota hit the bar with a shot. Trent Alexander-Arnold did miss in the 61st minute. He controlled a cross from Salah and sent a shot toward the goal that took a slight defection and wound up in the back of the net.
Darwin Núñez missed a golden opportunity in the 69th minute as he put a 1-on-1 chance high. Núñez had another chance later in the game, but the goalie came off his line with a strong tackle to keep the match level.
Liverpool made a late push for a game-winner with corners in the 83rd and 86th minutes, but they could not finish. As a result, the Reds had to settle for a 2-2 draw.
Second Half Analysis
I am usually an optimist but I am truly disappointed with this result. Liverpool should have scored multiple goals in the second half but Darwin Núñez missed a pair of sitters that should have been easy finishes for a striker of his calibre. Let's hope those lost points don't come back to haunt the Reds at the end of the title race.
Salah Scores Again
As he does seemingly every match, Mohamed Salah found the back of the net once again. His strike in the 29th minute was his 24th of the Premier League campaign and 29th overall. He also passed Luis Suarez for the club record for away goals in a single season with 15. Salah's 29 goals also leads the Golden Boot race with the closest player being Manchester City's Erling Haaland who has 24.
Streak Extended
Even though the Reds will be disappointed with a draw, they extended their unbeaten streak away from Anfield in the EPL to 14 games, hust the 5th EPL team to do so. The longest such streak belongs to Manchester United with 19 from 2020 through 2021.
A Look At The Table
With just 12 games left in the EPL season, it's a good time to take stock and see where the Reds are. You can't complain with 61 points and the top stop, but you can't help but be a little bit greedy and want all 3 points out of this one. Aston Villa have drawn 4 out of their last 5 league matches, though, so this result wasn't entirely unexpected.
LFC Globe Verdict
Liverpool missed too many chances. They had 17 shots, but only 3 were on target, meaning that 14 of those shots never even tested the keeper. Liverpool did increase their lead over Arsenal to 12 points, but, in doing so they left the door open for the Gunners to get back in the title race. Time will tell how it all plays out,
Man Of The Match
Mohamed Salah. Not only did he have another goal and an assist today, but he has put together an impressive body of work all season. The only season where he was better statistically was his first at Liverpool (2017). If this is truly his last season at Anfield, what a way to go out.
What's Next
Liverpool will face another tough road match when they travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City on Sunday, February 23rd.
Goals
Aston Villa
- Youri Tielemans 38'
- Ollie Watkins 45+'
Liverpool
- Mohamed Salah 29'
- Trent Alexander-Arnold 61'
Substitutions
Aston Villa
- Jacob Ramsey for Marcus Rashford 67'
- Donyell Malen for Marco Asensio 67'
- Matty Cash for Andres Garcia 67'
- Ian Maatsen for Lucas Digne 78'
- LaMare Bogarde for John McGinn 86'
Liverpool
- Conor Bradley for Trent Alexander-Arnold 66'
- Darwin Nunez for Diogo Jota 66'
- Luis Diaz for Alexis Mac Allister 81'
- Jarell Quansah for Conor Bradley 89'