Ollie Watkins scored twice and added an assist as Aston Villa ran past Liverpool 4-2 to seal a Champions League return at Villa Park on Friday.
MORE — Arne Slot reacts to loss, ‘full pressure’
Morgan Rogers and John McGinn also scored for the Villans, who move into fourth place.
They are three points ahead of fifth-place Liverpool, who were looking for the three points to seal their spot in Europe. Now they’ll need Bournemouth to falter or a good result in Week 38.
WATCH — Aston Villa v Liverpool full match replay
Virgil van Dijk scored both of Liverpool’s goals.
Aston Villa vs Liverpool final score: 4-1
Morgan Rogers 44', Virgil van Dijk 52', Ollie Watkins 57', 73', John McGinn 89'
The Mentality Monsters have been gone for a while, and at this point it’s difficult to imagine a Liverpool team that is able to bounce back from a rough in-game patch to seize control of a game against a good opponent.
Injuries are a big part of why they don’t stoke fear in the hearts of defenders, as Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike was out and Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah just returning to the team. But it’s more than that.
Joe Gomez put in 66 minutes at right back and at 28 it’s difficult to see why he’s been preferred to anyone else at that spot excepting the fact that Liverpool did not give Arne Slot adequate right back options this year. Jeremie Frimpong has been used in attack lately while Conor Bradley’s been out a while and the fact that Slot often turned to Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones at right back this year showed the flaws in this squad’s construction.
But in years past we’ve seen Liverpool sort themselves out even when there’s been a hole on the pitch. Heck Trent Alexander-Arnold often left that spot exposed defensively but the Reds didn’t go away and hide until the final whistle. Too many players did that on Friday. And now Liverpool may only return to the UCL via sleepwalking.
Villa head to Istanbul for Wednesday’s Europa League Final against Bundesliga mainstays Freiburg. That kicks off at 3pm ET. The Villans then finish the PL season away to Man City on Sunday, May 24.
Liverpool host Brentford on May 24 in what could be a critical day for both teams’ European hopes.
Arne Slot’s just spoken on television and had plenty to say about the loss.
Here are all of his words, but first a bit on the pressure to reach the Champions League:
“We are under full pressure although it feels we have been under full pressure the whole season. The only thing we can do now is make a very good week and be very well prepared. As always we are hoping that our fans will be fully behind us because you could see tonight how important it is — as we’ve seen at Anfield — what it means to be all together.”
Aston Villa are heading back to the UEFA Champions League regardless of their Europa League Final result in Turkiye next week.
Liverpool will wait at least a few more days to confirm a place in next season’s UCL.
Well that’ll definitely do it.
John McGinn from some distance lifts a curler just beyond the hope of meaningful contact from Mamardashvili’s glove.
Really impressive work from the Scot.
Another corner, another goal.
It’s headed away and Pau Torres is denied from close range but Watkins is right there to snap home.
A Liverpool error and Villa feast within seconds.
Rio Ngumoha had hit the post at the other end but the ball went all the way back to the Liverpool third.
Dominik Szoboszlai just slips and Rogers takes the ball to lead a rush on the right, slipping it to Watkins for a finish past Mamardashvili.
Matty Cash is protesting and this may not stand but...
A deep free kick from the right clears the field of players excepting Virgil van Dijk, who nods perfectly across goal and beyond the reach of Martinez.
There’s just no threat out wide from Liverpool, as young Rio Ngumoha has been quiet and Curtis Jones is more or less situated at right wing atop Joe Gomez’s right back spot.
Florian Wirtz, Mo Salah, and Federico Chiesa are among those awaiting their chance, while Villa’s bench has some possible game-changers in Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, and Leon Bailey.
Shots now 5-4 for Liverpool, with both sides putting two on target. The only goal belongs to Rogers and the Reds have a lot of work to do to keep hold of fourth on the table.
A set piece goal that will bring more acclaim to Austin MacPhee.
The corner kick is played almost back to the halfway line and then quickly back whence it came.
Somewhere along the way Liverpool lost track of Morgan Rogers, who steps inside the 18 and has time and space to curl around Mamardashvili for 1-0.
A shot from distance is spilled by Emiliano Martinez and Cody Gakpo slaps it inside the post.
The Dutchman is offside and the gamr remains scoreless into the 28th minute.
Liverpool have edged possession but there’s yet to be a truly dangerous moment since Watkins’ half-power try in the second minute.
Dominik Szoboszlai looks well and truly up for the game as Liverpool seek a lead in the 17th minute.
Morgan Rogers does a lot of work with a driving dribble toward the 18.
He defers to Ollie Watkins, who can’t get power after turning into a quick, low strike that Mamardashvili stoops to collect in the six.
Starting XI: Martinez, Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Konsa, Digne, Tielemans, McGinn, Buendia, Rogers, Watkins
Subs: Bizot, Barkley, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey
This is a deep team, and they’ll like their chances of moving up a spot on the table.
Starting XI: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Jones, Gakpo, Ngumoha
Subs: Woodman, Wirtz, Salah, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, McConnell, Ndiaye, W. Wright
So Wirtz is fit... but for the bench along with Salah. Rio Ngumoha gets another start at forward.
Giorgi Mamardashvili looks likely to start again in goal for Liverpool, while Florian Wirtz’s status is a likely starter but his inability to go from the opening kickoff would be an issue.
Still no Amadou Onana or Boubacar Kamara for Villa. Will Unai Emery rest some stars ahead of next week’s UEL Final, or will he use it as a tune-up for his best and brightest?
Kick off time: 3pm ET Friday
Venue: Villa Park — Aston, Birmingham
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch on USA
