Read Andy Hunter’s match report:
Summary
Let’s start with the positives. Liverpool put a patchy run behind them with an accomplished performance, sharing the goals out as they moved up to eighth, and giving their goal difference a welcome shot in the arm. If Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge can stay fit, brighter days lie ahead for Jürgen Klopp.
The final scoreline was, however, more a sign of Villa’s disintegration than Liverpool’s brilliance. The hosts looked like losing from the moment Sturridge opened the scoring, and lost their way spectacularly in the second half, conceding four goals in 15 minutes.
On a day when history is relevant, it’s worth noting that in 185 previous meetings, Liverpool never won by this big of a margin. Villa are out of their depth, and the next top-flight encounter between these two may be a long time coming.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to join Gregg Bakowski for Man City v Spurs, live, now. Bye!
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Full-time: Aston Villa 0-6 Liverpool
That concludes Aston Villa’s worst home defeat in the league since 1935. Liverpool were good – very good at times – but they had to be no more than competent. Villa were awful, and are going down with a whimper.
92 mins: Villa fans, to their eternal credit, are still vocal – even if it’s mainly in anger. One final, fitful attack for Liverpool, with Clyne feeding Origi, who dallies waiting for a cross, and lets the ball run out of play.
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90 mins: Philippe Coutinho picks up the man of the match award, which is fair enough. Liverpool are a much stronger side with him in it. The central trio of Henderson, Can and Milner, meanwhile, were as dominant as any midfield unit I’ve seen this season.
88 mins: Stewart loops the ball out wide to Clyne, who again cannot be stopped by either Veretout or Cissokho. His cross is cleared by Okore, with Benteke set to pounce.
Oh, Merse.
85 mins: Alan Hutton replaces Micah Richards, making his comeback from injury. “A silver lining for the hosts” suggests the commentary, seriously pushing the boundaries of the term “silver lining”.
84 mins: From the free kick, Liverpool clear and break in second gear, with Origi searching for Clyne with a diagonal pass. Lescott gets across well to cut the pass out.
83 mins: Villa are showing a bit of fight, albeit against a Liverpool team that have downed tools for the day. Stewart goes into the book for a clumsy foul on Gueye.
81 mins: Villa’s next four league games: Stoke (A), Everton (H), Man City (A), Tottenham (H).
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79 mins: Ah, that’s unlucky. Lescott, on the edge of the Liverpool area for some reason, backheels into the path of Sinclair, who bends an excellent shot that crashes off the angle.
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“The other half of the crowd stayed for their last chance to boo Benteke for a couple of years” quips Mark Turner. Benteke’s entrance was met with little reaction, save for the stunned silence that’s been the theme of this second half.
76 mins: Liverpool stroke it around as Klopp himself stifles a chuckle. Veretout is booked for a risible hack on Stewart.
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73 mins: CHRISTIAN BENTEKE IS ON! He replaces Firmino, who had just exchanged rabonas with Jordan Henderson. In the stands, Villa fans are actually laughing.
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72 mins: Clyne broke forward again, and saw his cross turned away by Cissokho. The competent defending didn’t last, as Henderson’s corner found Touré, unmarked, who crouched to direct the ball into the net.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 0-6 Liverpool (Touré)
Kolo Touré makes it six with a free header. Humiliation complete.
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69 mins: About half of the home crowd have left. I’ll be honest, I’m surprised that the other half have stayed.
Elsewhere, the team news is in for Manchester City v Tottenham – you can join Gregg Bakowski for that one, which should be a bit more competitive.
67 mins: I think Villa’s mini-revival might be over. Kevin Stewart is on for Liverpool, in place of Coutinho. For Villa, Jordan Lyden is thrown in at the deep end, in place of Leandro Bacuna.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-5 Liverpool (Clyne)
It’s a third goal in eight minutes for Liverpool, Clyne wandering unopposed through the Villa area, forcing a fine save from the unfortunate Mark Bunn, but bundling in the rebound as nobody could be bothered to clear it.
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63 mins: Ashley Westwood is booked for a frankly horrible tackle on Origi, letting his frustration get the better of him. Don’t worry, Villa fans, it can’t get any worse, right?
62 mins: Villa are sleepwalking, and Moreno’s routine through ball puts Origi clear of the defence. He composes himself, and slots the ball underneath Bunn.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-4 Liverpool (Origi)
Well, that didn’t take long.
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61 mins: Liverpool substitution: Divock Origi, not Christian Benteke, is on for Daniel Sturridge.
60 mins: Liverpool ease off defensively, and Villa almost snatch a goal back, with home fans heading for the exit. Gueye threads the ball to Bacuna, whose cross-shot is parried into danger by Mignolet – but Gueye can’t reach the rebound. He complains he was held back by Moreno, but it’s a hopeful appeal.
58 mins: Bacuna dallied on the ball and was dispossessed by Firmino, then held him back. Neil Swarbrick played a tidy advantage, allowing the Brazilian to roll the ball across the D, into the path of Can, who swept a first-time shot into the bottom corner.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-3 Liverpool (Can)
And now it’s three, courtesy of a lovely strike from Emre Can!
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56 mins: An extended break in play as Agbonlahor requires further treatment. He looks in a bad way, and is going off, replaced by Scott Sinclair.
53 mins: Milner, who alongside Henderson has been excellent, weaves along the right-hand side of the area, his low cross almost ricocheting to Sturridge – but Bunn, who has done little wrong, punching the ball clear. A third goal is starting to feel inevitable.
52 mins: Agbonlahor is carrying on. Liverpool are still having the run of midfield, with Moreno and Clyne stationed thirty yards from the Villa goal. Coutinho threads the ball to the former, whose cross is punted clear by Cissokho, under little pressure.
48 mins: Coutinho shapes to shimmy past Richards, but the Villa captain pre-emptively puts him on the deck. Agbonlahor is down injured – hardly ideal, with Scott Sinclair the best attacking option on the home bench. Keinan Davis, the teenager signed from Biggleswade Town, is the other.
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46 mins: Bacuna goes for a change of pace, cutting inside and striking a left-footed shot that Mignolet holds at the second time of asking.
Peep!
The second half is under way, with Bacuna offering another inaccurate cross from the right which Mignolet plucks out of the air.
“Jürgen Klopp must have been told off by his doctor for the wild celebrations” reckons Ezra Finkelstein. “Even Wenger gets more animated than that Milner goal reaction. Disappointing.”
While we wait for the second half, here’s Sachin Nakrani with five talking points from the Emirates:
Talking points from Villa Park: Liverpool have been very good, Aston Villa less so.
Half time: Aston Villa 0-2 Liverpool
After a lukewarm start, it’s been easy for Liverpool ever since Danny Sturridge nodded home after 15 minutes. Former Villan James Milner made it two when his crossed free kick drifted in, and as the whistle goes, the home fans’ boos are reserved exclusively for current Aston Villa players. Back in a jiffy.
45 mins: Two added minutes for Villa to cling to this two-goal deficit. Henderson looks for Sturridge with a cross from an unconventional angle but it’s smothered by Bunn.
43 mins: Liverpool knocking once again, and Milner has acres of space down the left, where Richards has been shoddy in his defensive duty. His cross is turned away, but only to the feet of Sturridge. The striker curls a shot towards the far corner, but Bunn beats it away.
42 mins: Bacuna picks up a booking for holding up Coutinho. From the free kick, the Brazilian finds Moreno with a no-look pass down the left, and Okore does very well to clear the ball from under his own crossbar.
40 mins: Villa are building some momentum as half-time approaches, with Bacuna offering a more dangerous ball in that’s hacked away by Sakho.
“I very much doubt Benteke will get booed. As soon as he started playing regularly for us, it was obvious he was a much better player than the rest of the squad and it was only a matter of time before he left” says Tom Adams.
“He stuck around for longer than we expected, and dug us out of a lot of holes. He left with the minimum of fuss and thanked the fans as he went. He was the mirror image of Delph’s departure and I’d expect a round of applause from the Villa faithful when he comes on.”
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38 mins: Richards moves upfield again, but with two Villa players to Liverpool’s six in the area, he pokes the ball out wide to Bacuna, who is in space and in the right place to whip in a cross. His effort rolls into Mignolet’s gloves, to audible groans.
36 mins: Coutinho has had a hand in both goals, and his very presence is giving Aston Villa a headache, their midfield afraid to go forward and defenders nervous in his vicinity. As a result, another spell of home possession becomes a Liverpool half-chance, Coutinho robbing Okore and firing in a speculative cross that’s cleared away.
33 mins: No matter, as Villa are toying with the self-destruct button again, giving away an unnecessary free kick 35 yards out. Coutinho is the only Liverpool player over it, and bends an impressive effort that flies a foot wide of Bunn’s near post.
32 mins: Lovely interplay from Moreno and Firmino, with the left-back haring forward, picking out Firmino on the left, who returns the favour with a prodded cross towards the near post. Moreno gets there ahead of Bunn, but his shot is gathered by the keeper.
29 mins: Should have been three. Firmino drops deep and lifts a diagonal pass to Milner, who had romped into the space left by Micah Richards, stranded upfield. Milner flicks the ball to Henderson, close to the penalty spot, but his shot is deflected wide off Okore’s arm, admittedly from very close range.
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27 mins: Jürgen Klopp’s back in the dugout, the players are pinging the ball around midfield, and their fans are in full voice. All rosy in Liverpool’s garden right now.
25 mins: It started with Okore trying, and failing, to shepherd the ball out on the goal-line. He lost possession, then upended Coutinho in his efforts to redeem himself. Instead of a goal kick, it’s a free kick, and Milner curls it in from the left, beyond Lescott, a dazzled Mark Bunn and inside the far post!
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Liverpool (Milner)
This is a goal from nothing, and truly embarrassing from Aston Villa.
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22 mins: Cissokho’s cross is cut out by Toure, and Westwood takes on a speculator that, on first appearance, looks much, much closer than it was. Gil is now playing as a second striker, just behind Agbonlahor, but theirs are the only claret shirts getting into the Liverpool area.
20 mins: Gil is over another free kick, and again delivers a testing long ball into the box – but Henderson is on hand to nod it back to Mignolet.
18 mins: The hosts’ gameplan, which was working well, will now have to be ripped up. A pretty good day for Roy Hodgson so far, with Welbeck and Sturridge both on the scoresheet.
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16 mins: Liverpool stroke it around in midfield, before the ball is whipped out to Coutinho on the left. He stepped inside, curled an inviting cross into the area, and Sturridge peeled away from Joleon Lescott, giving himself an easy header, six yards out, into the far corner. That solid start for Villa is, needless to say, over.
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GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool (Sturridge)
Now Liverpool have started, and it’s Danny Sturridge with a header from point blank range!
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“Wonder if Benteke will get booed if he comes on” wonders Ezra Finkelstein. My guess is yes, but not as much as Fabian Delph.
13 mins: A slow start for the Liverpool front three, with Firmino and Coutinho taking turns to misjudge passes to Sturridge, who is weaving from right to left in search of an opening.
While this one’s simmering, here’s Barney Ronay on Arsenal’s dramatic win over Leicester:
11 mins: Cissokho digs out an inswinging cross that Mignolet comes to punch, not entirely convincingly. A solid start from the hosts, although Liverpool haven’t really got started yet.
14: Simon Mignolet punches away a dangerous cross in the early stages (0-0) #LFC pic.twitter.com/M2SVsJGtvQ
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 14, 2016
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9 mins: Carles Gil looks the most likely to create something for Villa, almost bamboozling the back four with a slaloming run, then directing a promising attack which ends when Gueye’s pass is overhit.
7 mins: Every Villa player back in their own half, and Liverpool struggle for a breakthrough, with Moreno hauling a limp cross into Bunn’s arms with the penalty box deserted.
5 mins: ...from which Gil picks out Lescott, unmarked, but his header back across goal is cleared away.
4 mins: A lively tempo so far, both teams shuttling the ball neatly around the halfway line. Richards gallops forward, and is needlessly shoved over by Moreno. Villa with a chance to put the ball into the box...
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2 mins: Henderson picks out Clyne, pushed high up the right flank, but his cross is flicked away by Richards. There’s a potentially troublesome patch of sunlight square in front of Mark Bunn’s goal.
1 min: Firmino starts in the central role where he’s impressed recently, with Sturridge out on the right. Liverpool knock the ball around their back four in the opening seconds.
Peep!
Neil Swarbrick blows his whistle and away we go, with Liverpool in their all-white away kit, and Villa, of course, in claret and blue.
About five minutes until these two step out tentatively for their slot on Super Sunday. Will it be a thriller, or filler, at the Villa? I had a sneaking feeling for a score draw, but that Coutinho-Firmino-Sturridge frontline, making their first Premier League appearance together, looks a little spicy for the hosts. My prediction: Villa 1-2 Liverpool.
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Danny Welbeck has scored a last-minute winner for Arsenal. It’s up for grabs now!
History
From the future to the past, and as discussed, Aston Villa v Liverpool is a true top-flight fixture (although the one time it was played in the second tier sounded pretty decent too). You’d have to go back to January 1981 to find the last time it was a true title decider, when Tony Morley’s dancing feet helped Villa to a 2-0 win that put them above defending champions Liverpool, and on course for a title won with just 14 players.
Villa’s best effort since that season was the Premier League’s opening year, when they battled Manchester United and Norwich for the title, eventually coming home second. On their way, they knocked over Liverpool in a madcap 4-2 win, capped by that Ronny Rosenthal miss – the kind of occasion we have to thank for the watercooler farce that remains the Premier League’s hallmark.
Recent years have been less dramatic, but no more predictable. Villa have beaten Liverpool just the once at home in 18 years, but have triumphed SIX times away from Villa Park, including last year’s Rodgers v Sherwood affair at Wembley. On home turf, it’s been largely binary dominance for Liverpool, so we have to turn to the 2002 League Cup for a real thriller.
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Back to Villa Park, and Keinan Davis is on the home bench, looking for a Premier League debut the day after his 18th birthday. Credit to him for being in any kind of condition to play. Here’s a nice roundup from the Birmingham Mail of Villa’s other teenage Premier League players, from Gareth Barry to Jonathan Bowers.
Make that Arsenal 1-1 Leicester.
By the way...
Latest score: Arsenal 0-1 Leicester, but the visitors are down to ten men. It is, to say the least, a big twenty minutes in the Foxes’ title bid. Join Gregg Bakowski, but hurry back.
Team news!
Christian Benteke will begin his return to Villa Park from the safety of the bench – but Daniel Sturridge starts, as does Philippe Coutinho, who came through the Cup defeat to West Ham unscathed. They replace Joe Allen and Adam Lallana in the team that drew with Sunderland, with Kolo Touré in for the injured Dejan Lovren. Villa are unchanged from the 2-0 win over Norwich.
Aston Villa: Bunn, Richards, Okore, Lescott, Cissokho, Bacuna, Gana, Westwood, Gil, Veretout, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Guzan, Clark, Sinclair, Richardson, Hutton, Lyden, Davis.
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Toure, Sakho, Moreno, Henderson,
Can, Milner, Firmino, Sturridge, Coutinho.
Subs: Benteke, Caulker, Origi, Ibe, Stewart, Flanagan, Ward.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)
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Preamble
Hello. Liverpool and Aston Villa arrive here in different predicaments, perched at either end of the Premier League’s lower half, but with a fair bit in common too. Both are entitled to hope for the best, with the odd hint of forward momentum, but expect the worst, based on their shiftless seasons to date. There are two accomplished continental types in the dugout, but they have yet to really impose themselves, stymied by quiet Januarys, restless fan bases, and defences that could drive the coolest heads to distraction.
Save for a few choice subplots (the return of Christian Benteke to Villa Park, the return of Daniel Sturridge to actually playing football) this fixture could suffer from its scheduling, the faintly unappetising meat in today’s Big Four Super Sunday sandwich. These two clubs deserve better. Both are top-flight leviathans, contesting 206 seasons in the elite between them, and battling for honours since 1894, long before we’d ever heard of Rupert Murdoch, Leicester City and in-play betting.
This is the 93rd league game between the two at Villa Park, and the 92nd in the top tier. Given Villa’s current plight, who knows when the next one will be? Let’s enjoy it while it’s here. Both teams can at least give this timeless first division fixture an appropriate send off, and perhaps light a fire under current affairs in the process. Kick-off is at 2.05pm; teams and nostalgic vibes to follow.
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