Liverpool held to gripping draw at Aston Villa
Aston Villa 2 - 2 Liverpool
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points after a thrilling draw against Aston Villa.
The Reds, unbeaten in the league since their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield in September, were made to pay for defensive lapses and a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.
Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead in the 29th minute, but Villa responded through Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins. Trent Alexander-Arnold then equalised 16 minutes into the second half to ensure the points were shared.
With their lead over second-placed Arsenal now extended, Arne Slot’s side face Manchester City on Sunday in what could prove to be a pivotal week in the title race. Meanwhile, Arsenal host West Ham on Saturday, knowing that a win – coupled with a Liverpool defeat at the Etihad – would put them within touching distance of the leaders with a game in hand.
For Villa, Marcus Rashford was handed his first start for the club, and they remain ninth, five points off the top four. The England forward made an impact, delivering a cross that Virgil van Dijk turned into his own net after 17 minutes, though the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.
Salah missed a header but made amends soon after, pouncing on Diogo Jota’s cross after Andres Garcia’s misplaced pass gifted the Portuguese forward possession.
However, Liverpool’s lead lasted just nine minutes as Tielemans fired home following a failure to clear Rashford’s free-kick. Villa then went in front in first-half stoppage time when Watkins nodded in from a superb Lucas Digne cross, moments after Jota squandered a good opportunity.
Liverpool hit back after the break, with Jota rattling the crossbar before Salah teed up Alexander-Arnold, whose deflected strike found its way past Emi Martinez.
The visitors had a golden opportunity to snatch all three points, but substitute Darwin Núñez blazed over from close range with 21 minutes remaining. Villa thought they had won it late on, but Jacob Ramsey’s goal was ruled out for offside.
