Aston Villa secured a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday in a thrilling encounter at Anfield, with a late equaliser rescuing a point for the home side.
Villa missed a big chance to take the lead in the first half as Ollie Watkins missed from the penalty spot, but we were ahead not long after as Jacob Ramsey broke the deadlock with an excellent finish.
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While we showed incredible resilience and resolve throughout as the minutes ticked away and we looked capable of holding out for a huge win, ultimately it wasn’t to be as Roberto Firmino’s late goal salvaged a point for the hosts.
That in turn means we need a win on the final day of the Premier League season at home against Brighton to seal a Europa Conference League place, and it remains to be seen what happens in the Seagulls’ next two games to determine if a Europa League spot is still on the line too.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Liverpool:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Commanded his box well as he claimed crosses with minimal fuss and made a string of decent saves without needing to pull off anything spectacular. His distribution was good throughout, and there was little he could have done to deny Firmino’s goal from close range.
Matty Cash, 7 – Good to see him back in the starting XI and he put in a gritty shift in a difficult assignment for him up against Diaz. Used his speed and tenacity well to limit the threat from that side.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – A solid performance as he kept things tight through the middle and didn’t allow Liverpool any clear openings. Worked well with the rest of the backline to play the offside trap successfully too, and so it was another impressive outing.
Tyrone Mings, 7.5 – He’ll be disappointed he lost Firmino for the goal, and there was a temptation to mark him down for it given it was a decisive moment in the game. However, prior to that, and despite picking up a yellow card in the first half, he was everywhere. Showed great determination and positioning to consistently clear danger and we might not have even been in that position late on had it not been for his defensive display.
Lucas Digne, 7 – A positive effort as he did well against Mo Salah, particularly given his lack of minutes in recent weeks. Was given the nod because of that ability to keep things tighter at left-back, and he did his job well to limit the Liverpool forward’s threat on that flank before he was eventually replaced in the second half.
John McGinn, 7 – A combative shift as he popped up all over the pitch through the course of the game to show his tactical versatility. Was a real problem for Liverpool early on as he kept winning free-kicks in their third, while he played a beauty of a pass to send Watkins through for the penalty. Battled hard and gave us a foothold in the game even though we came under intense pressure.
Boubacar Kamara, 7 – Big boost to have him back in the line-up, as his physical presence and defensive strengths were key in this one. Constantly won the ball back with his physicality and reading of the game, and kept possession ticking over. It’s hoped he’ll be increasingly influential next week having now had an extensive run-out after his injury.
Douglas Luiz, 7.5 – Showed brilliant perseverance in the lead up to our goal, before playing a superb delivery into the box to pick out Ramsey at the back post. Was impressive in possession and a calm head in a chaotic encounter, which in turn gave us some control in that midfield battle.
Jacob Ramsey, 7.5 – Took his goal really well as it was a top finish to guide the ball into the opposite corner. Almost bagged a second with Alisson producing a big save, and he worked tirelessly to help us out defensively as we tried to hold out for the win.
Leon Bailey, 6 – Worked hard for the team and won free-kicks up the pitch to help us keep a lid on the atmosphere and control the tempo, but there wasn’t a great deal of quality to his work in the final third to offer a genuine attacking threat.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Put in a shift with his pressing and tracking back, and his movement at times was good to give us an option on the counter attack. However, he’ll be bitterly disappointed with his penalty miss as although we ended up scoring not long after, it could have been a huge moment in the game to help us kill it off early.
Substitutes:
Alex Moreno, N/A – Produced a vital clearance to deny Van Dijk but picked up an injury in doing so. Looked a bad one as he clutched his hamstring while getting help off the pitch, but hopefully it isn’t as serious as it looked.
Ashley Young, 6 – Battled hard to try and keep us ahead, and although he perhaps wasn’t as quick as we needed to cut out crosses into the box, did his best to alleviate pressure too.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – Tracked back and ran hard in the latter stages to try and keep Liverpool at bay. Given the situation in the game, didn’t see much of his attacking qualities.
Jhon Duran, N/A
Leander Dendoncker, N/A