Aston Villa secured their place in the Champions League next season with a commanding 4-2 victory over Liverpool at Villa Park, leaving Arne Slot's side facing the prospect of missing out on the competition entirely. Unai Emery's team delivered a relentless performance, with Ollie Watkins scoring twice and John McGinn adding a stunning curler to cap a memorable night.
Match Overview
The only previous time Unai Emery had beaten Liverpool was in a Europa League final. A decade later, he ended that wait for a second victory, setting Aston Villa up perfectly to emulate his Sevilla side's continental exploits. He may also consign Liverpool to his favourite competition, the Europa League. The Champions League anthem played after the final whistle as Villa return to the European elite, potentially qualifying twice in five days. Liverpool, falling apart amid an onslaught, may not qualify at all. A 19th defeat of the season was among their grimmest, not merely for the potential consequences.
Key Moments
Dominik Szoboszlai recorded two assists, taking his tally to 12 for the season, but his night will be remembered for a costly slip. As Szoboszlai lost his footing and the ball, he allowed Morgan Rogers to set up Watkins for the first of his brace. Liverpool could have a fraught week unless others take points off Brighton and Bournemouth. For Villa, it may prove a seminal, spectacular one. John McGinn may get his hands on the Europa League trophy in Istanbul; his left foot illuminated this game with a glorious curler for Villa's fourth goal.
Player Performances
Watkins, with 10 goals in his last 11 games, is stepping up his case to go to the World Cup. In his 53rd appearance of the season, he looked fresh as he overpowered Liverpool. The visitors felt exhausted, looking lethargic with lopsided tactics in the first half, stretched and struggling in the second. Villa were everything they were not: relentless against a team that ended up looking a rabble. When Mohamed Salah announced his summer departure, this may have promised to be a memorable occasion for a forward in the No 11 shirt, but it was Watkins who shone. Salah's penultimate Liverpool appearance came as a substitute, while Alexander Isak, the £125m man, was injured again. Liverpool began without the quartet supposed to bring their greatest goal threat—Salah, Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike—and seemed short of firepower.
Set-Piece Woes
Briefly, Szoboszlai provided inspiration, but his twin assists became a footnote, as did Virgil van Dijk's double. The captain headed in twice, taking his season tally to eight, but Liverpool have conceded 52 goals in the Premier League alone. Two came in sadly familiar fashion. The defending champions top an unwanted table: no one has conceded as many goals from set-pieces, and Villa's first and third both came from corners. Set-piece coach Austin MacPhee celebrated the first with a vigour that spoke to a plan paying off. Emery fielded his strongest available side, the one that thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the Europa League semi-final and could face Freiburg in the final. This reduces the pressure on Villa to win that competition, but they warmed up wonderfully.
Turning Point
The opener stemmed from a short corner, with MacPhee delighted as Liverpool were caught out and Lucas Digne passed to Rogers, who curled in a shot. After Van Dijk's first goal, Szoboszlai fell on his face. Rogers supplied Watkins. This came in a frantic few minutes when Liverpool could have led, with Rio Ngumoha whipping a shot against the base of the post and Cody Gakpo skewing the rebound over the bar. Instead, Villa surged clear. The irresistible Watkins had one goal disallowed and was then thwarted by Giorgi Mamardashvili. His second arrived when the striker poked in his shot after Mamardashvili had parried efforts from Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres; his defence offered him precious little protection.
Conclusion
Villa signed off for the season in front of their fans in magnificent style. They sang songs about Istanbul, the city where Liverpool won their fifth Champions League. Now the aim for Slot is less glamorous. Liverpool may have to beat Brentford next Sunday, or this season will be a failure on all fronts.
