Liverpool faced off with Aston Villa on Tuesday evening, looking to gain some ground on their title rivals, Manchester City.
The Reds headed into the game sat three points behind Pep Guardiola’s side with four worse goal difference, meaning Liverpool needed to win, and win convincingly, vs Villa.
And, whilst Liverpool did pick up the three points on the day, it was not exactly a convincing showing from the Merseysiders.
Aston Villa took the lead moments into the game thanks to some poor defending from the likes of Kostas Tsimikas and Alisson:
ASTON VILLA LEAD! 😮
Douglas Luiz slams the ball home from close range and what a goal this could be in the race for the title! pic.twitter.com/JSozF374ZS
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 10, 2022
However, it did not take long for Liverpool to hit back via Joel Matip who, like Douglas Luiz, benefited from some poor defending on the opposition’s part.
What a response from Liverpool!
Joël Matip pokes the ball home and what a start we’ve had here at Villa Park! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gE2Y4vnp9b
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 10, 2022
In the end, though, it was Liverpool who emerged with the three points thanks to a 64th-minute header from Sadio Mane.
The win moved Liverpool level on points with Man City, but still 2nd in the league due to goal difference. City play their game in hand on Wednesday.
Klopp on Fabinho
As well as failing to regain top spot in the Premier League, Liverpool also lost Fabinho to injury 30 minutes into the game with what looked to be a hamstring problem.
And, with an FA Cup final this weekend and a Champions League final later this month, Liverpool really cannot afford to have one of their main midfielders out of action for any length of time.
But when speaking after the game on Tuesday, Klopp was asked if Fabinho can make the final on Saturday, to which he said: “I don’t know. He felt the muscle, not too much.”
Klopp was then asked if it is Fabinho’s thigh that is the issue and he said: “No, the other side. He’s quite positive but I’m not sure what I can make of that to be honest.”
