Liverpool move five points clear after Núñez and Salah sink Aston Villa | Premier League

Manchester City are faltering, Liverpool are flawless. The Premier League leaders took full advantage of the reigning champions’ defeat at Brighton to extend their lead at the top to five points with a confident, clinical defeat of Aston Villa. It was Liverpool’s 15th victory in 17 matches under Arne Slot and they head into the international break with momentum, belief and form on their side.

A first-half strike from Darwin Núñez and a late finish from Mohamed Salah secured victory over Unai Emery’s stubborn side, who lacked the quality in the final third to seriously trouble Liverpool. Liverpool have bettered their tally of 28 points from the opening 11 games only once in the last 34 seasons, in 2019-20, when they went on to win the Premier League.

An unforeseen benefit of the 8pm kick-off, certainly from Liverpool’s perspective, was the time it allowed to digest City’s latest defeat. The sense of anticipation inside Anfield increased before kick-off at the possibility of opening up a five-point lead over the champions. Liverpool’s players sensed it too, and began with the intensity that Slot had felt was lacking from the start against both Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen.

Villa contributed to an open, entertaining first half as they looked to recover from three successive defeats in all competitions. The visitors attempted to stall Liverpool’s momentum by taking an age over every goal kick but then played their way confidently around the press and broke dangerously. Leon Bailey headed over when found unmarked by Youri Tielemans’ cross while Ryan Gravenberch made an important block to deny Jacob Ramsey’s goal-bound drive from the edge of the area.

Liverpool’s vibrant display had not created any clear opportunities to test Emiliano Martínez in the Villa goal when they produced a devastating counterattack to open the scoring in style. The break stemmed from a Villa corner and owed everything to the vision of Virgil van Dijk, who released Salah behind an exposed defence with a superb through ball.

Salah was sent sprawling by Bailey, who may well have been in serious trouble had referee David Coote halted play immediately. The referee allowed play to continue, however, and Núñez pounced on the loose ball, rounded Martínez and clipped a clinical finish into the Kop goal from a tight angle.

Coote was also dismissive of a Villa penalty appeal when Ollie Watkins went down in the box following a challenge by Ibrahima Konaté. Trent Alexander-Arnold pulled up with what seemed an injury to his hamstring moments later and had to be replaced by Conor Bradley. A withdrawal from the England squad for next week’s Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland seems likely to follow.

Núñez should have had a second when Liverpool broke in numbers from another Villa corner. Bradley’s clearance enabled Salah to send the Uruguay international scampering down the left but, once in range of Martínez’s goal, the striker blazed over.

Not every Villa corner was a danger to themselves, however, and it needed two fine saves in quick succession from Caoimhín Kelleher to prevent the visitors going in level at the break. Alisson’s dependable deputy produced a flying stop to tip over Amadou Onana’s glancing header from a Lucas Digne delivery.

From the resulting corner, again taken by Digne, Diego Carlos connected at the near post and the Liverpool goalkeeper made a superb reaction save at close range. Watkins was unable to convert the rebound.

Villa also had an excellent chance to level moments after the restart when Konaté failed to deal with Digne’s long ball and Morgan Rogers escaped inside the area. The forward miscued his shot well wide of Kelleher’s left-hand post. Liverpool survived a VAR review for a possible penalty when Bradley pulled Pau Torres as they competed for a Digne free-kick.

Emery raged at the refusal to penalise the Liverpool substitute. His mood was not helped thereafter by Villa squandering several promising counterattacks with a poor final ball or touch. His well-organised team did manage to contain Liverpool for most of the second half but remained extremely vulnerable to the counter-attack. It needed a superb intervention by Ezri Konsa to prevent Salah putting Luis Díaz through on goal when the hosts broke from yet another Villa corner.

With six minutes of normal time remaining, and Torres appealing for a non-existent foul by Gravenberch inside the Liverpool penalty area, the visitors were undone once again. Carlos attempted to clear a long ball on the halfway line but succeeded only in heading against Salah, who promptly left the defender trailing as they pursued the rebound into the Villa half. The Egypt international had options to his left but took the most inviting, and beat Martinez with a blistering finish to seal victory and Liverpool’s commanding lead at the Premier League summit.