Somehow, Jurgen Klopp’s team at Villa Park blew a two-goal advantage.

 

The emotionally and physically broken players at Liverpool are eager for the season to end, as seen by their thrilling 3–3 tie with Aston Villa on Monday night.

The Reds took an early lead thanks to a spectacular own goal by Emiliano Martinez. Despite letting their opponents back into the match with a clumsy pass from Alexis Mac Allister that eventually resulted in Youri Tielemans leveling the score from Ollie Watkins’ cut-back, Cody Gakpo’s tap-in and Jarell Quansah’s header put Jurgen Klopp’s team ahead by two goals.

But Mac Allister was at fault again when Villa equalized through a powerful strike from Jhon Duran, following the Argentine’s inconsiderate loss of possession of the ball on the boundary. After just three minutes, the substitute scored again, this time by deflecting in a shot from Moussa Diaby, and Unai Emery’s fourth-place team moved one step closer to securing a spot in the Champions League for the following season.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Alisson Becker (6/10):

Very nearly gave away a goal with a seriously risky pass but did make a couple of big saves from Nicolo Zaniolo and Diaby. Nothing he could have done about any of the goals.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (5/10):

An unusually quiet game from the attacking right-back, who put in plenty of crosses but to little effect. Also lost the ball quite a few times.

Jarell Quansah (7/10):

Beaten far too easily by Watkins on the Villa goal but also made one terrific block on the forward before scoring Liverpool’s third with a towering header.

Virgil van Dijk (6/10):

Once again left furious by the shoddy nature of the defending all around him. But he still has to accept some responsibility for failing to get his defence in order.

Joe Gomez (5/10):

Filled in for Robertson at left-back and made a well-timed run to tee up Gakpo for a tap-in but was given a really tough time by Leon Bailey, as expected, and also guilty of completely losing Diaby at one point.

Midfielder

Harvey Elliott (8/10):

Another dynamic display from the 21-year-old, who was involved in two goals, putting in the deflected cross that Martinez fumbled into the net, as well as the lovely free-kick delivery that Quansah rose to head home.

Wataru Endo (6/10):

Worked tirelessly but was unable to get a real grip on the game. Replaced with 15 minutes to go.

Alexis Mac Allister (3/10):

Came as a huge surprise to see him stay on the field, given the loose pass which led to Villa’s equaliser was a sign of his obvious tiredness. The mistake that led to the hosts’ second goal, thus, felt inevitable.

Attack

Mohamed Salah (7/10):

Caused Lucas Digne all sorts of problems during the first half but his influence waned the longer the game wore on.

Cody Gakpo (8/10):

Unlike so many of his fellow forwards, the Dutchman is finishing the season with a flourish. His goal was just reward for another good game leading the line for Liverpool.

Luis Diaz (6/10):

Can’t fault the Colombian for effort or passion but he was visibly frustrated by his inability to make something happen. No surprise to see him hauled off in the 75th minute.

Subs & Manager

Darwin Nunez (N/A):

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Only came on for the final 15 minutes but still managed to have a goal ruled out for offside, as usual.

Curtis Jones (N/A):

Took over in midfield from Endo late on and had an injury-time shot on goal but didn’t bring much else to the party.

Dominik Szoboslai (N/A):

Salah set him up shortly after he entered the fray but he was unable to beat Martinez.

Ryan Gravenberch (N/A):

Replaced Elliott in the closing stages but didn’t make much of an impact.

Jurgen Klopp (5/10):

From a defensive perspective, Liverpool remain a shambles, and the manager erred badly by leaving a clearly exhausted Mac Allister on the field, but at least his faith in Elliott and Gakpo was once again justified.