Arne Slot’s hotly controversial decision to heavily rotate his squad for the midweek Carabao Cup exit was vindicated on Saturday night, as Liverpool romped to a 2–0 victory at home to Aston Villa in arguably their most energetic performance of the season.
Nine of the starting XI which smothered the life out of Unai Emery’s visitors were not involved in any capacity during Wednesday’s limp loss to Crystal Palace. Mohamed Salah seemed to have notably benefitted from a week of preparation and duly opened the scoring.
There was a cathartic roar at Anfield as Salah took advantage of a forced turnover on the cusp of half-time before Ryan Gravenberch doubled Liverpool’s advantage almost on the hour mark from another high-pressing situation.
After a tumultuous week of taunts from opposing fans fearing for his job, Slot was treated to a show of support on Merseyside as the crowd bellowed the Dutchman’s name during the closing stages of a much-needed win.
Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili—7.9: Did what he had to do without any fuss.
RB: Conor Bradley—7.1: Actually managed to finish a match without picking up an injury or a yellow card.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—7.0: The booming cheer of “Ibou!” routinely rang around Anfield on a performance of refreshing competence from the erratic defender.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.3: Came much closer to the normal sense of calm and composure which he characteristically exudes.
LB: Andy Robertson—7.5: Offered the stability which has been so desperately lacking from Milos Kerkez throughout a tricky adaptation period at Anfield.
CM: Ryan Gravenberch—8.5: Even one of the Premier League’s best midfielders can’t singlehandedly mask Liverpool’s weaknesses out of possession. Gravenberch’s tendency to stride upfield can work both ways for the leaky champions; it brought a goal but also left his teammates exposed.
CM: Alexis Mac Allister—8.2: Knitting the game together behind his more front-footed midfield colleagues.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—7.9: Is there anything Szoboszlai can’t do? Led Liverpool’s blistering press from the tip of a sharpened midfield as the champions’ one-man swarm. In this kind of form, it would be hard to see how any player, even a £116 million ($152.6 million) summer recruit, can dislodge the Hungarian.
RW: Mohamed Salah—8.0: Held off Lucas Digne impressively and was on hand to coolly finish off the opening goal without quite returning to his best form just yet.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—6.3: Had a first-half goal rightly ruled out for offside but delivered plenty of telling contributions which did fit within the rules of engagement.
LW: Cody Gakpo—7.8: All too willing to run down the blind alley of cutting infield and blasting a firm shot into the midriff of an opponent.
Subs not used: Ármin Pécsi (GK), Freddie Woodman (GK), Joe Gomez, Milos Kerkez, Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Emiliano Martínez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana; Evan Guessand, Morgan Rogers, John McGinn; Ollie Watkins.
Subs used: Ross Barkley, Donyell Malen, Tyrone Mings, Ian Maatsen, Jadon Sancho.
Subs not used: Marco Bizot (GK), Victor Lindelöf, Lamare Bogarde, Ben Broggio.
Player of the Match: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Liverpool 2–0 Aston Villa: How It Unfolded at Anfield
Liverpool stop he slump and return to winning ways. pic.twitter.com/SuxDhJdjIO
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) November 1, 2025
Staring down the barrel of Liverpool’s worst domestic run of form since 1953, Slot was under unmatched scrutiny. While his debut campaign in Merseyside had been defined by a sense of calm, reaping the rewards clearer heads after taking the heat out of Jürgen Klopp’s feverishly emotional setup, Slot took a different approach on Saturday. Heavy metal football was back.
Liverpool hounded after Villa right from the opening whistle. The visitors were oddly accommodating of this approach, actively baiting a frenzied press which proved to be more effective than they were perhaps expecting.
Dominik Szoboszlai bullied Pau Torres out of a 50-50 midway through the first half yet his shot lacked the punch of his tackle. A flurry of white-shirted blocks and a timely offside flag kept Liverpool scoreless until first-half stoppage time.
It was Emiliano Martínez who cracked under the pressure of Liverpool’s press, eventually forced into a wayward pass which rolled perfectly into the stride of Salah, who made no mistake with a first-time finish into an empty net.
Liverpool kept the tempo up after the half-time interval. Pau Torres was forced into a hurried clearance which Virgil van Dijk picked off on the halfway line, instantly thumping the ball back into the final third. Faced with Villa’s dishevelled rearguard, Alexis Mac Allister picked out his returning teammate Gravenberch, who strode through the malaise of panicking white fabric to find the bottom corner in the 58th minute.
Villa were not entirely without their chances and one result does not immediately erase the first three months of the season, but it helps put Liverpool’s so-called “crisis” in perspective. As does the league table, which has the defending champions back in third place, albeit seven points adrift of Arsenal.
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Half-Time Stats
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Full Time Stats
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Aston Villa: Slot’s Controversial Gamble Pays Off.
