Salah salute as Nunez maddens
Another day, another Liverpool landmark for Mohamed Salah. And in front of the perfect audience, too.
With Sir Kenny Dalglish watching on from the Villa Park directors' box, Salah’s neat finish for the Reds’ opener wasn’t just his 16th of another profitable season. It moved him on to 172 goals for Liverpool, level with the Dalglish in seventh place in the all-time standings. That Salah has reached the tally in 277 games – compared to 515 for Dalglish – underlines how prolific the Egyptian continues to be more than five years into what will be regarded one of the truly great Anfield careers.
Salah wasn’t done there, his later pass for Virgil van Dijk to smash home the second making him only the second Liverpool player after Steven Gerrard to score 50-plus goals and assist at least the same figure in the Premier League era.
PAUL GORST VERDICT: Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez promise much for Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp masterstroke at Aston Villa
IAN DOYLE RATINGS: Darwin Nunez chaotic but three shine in win vs Aston Villa
By contrast, Darwin Nunez is very much still finding his feet with the Reds, yet to truly unlock the kind of finishing that brought him to Liverpool in the summer, even if his overall game and threat merits greater reward.
It’s a maddening mix. While Nunez played an important part in the game-clinching third goal, his detractors will point to a second successive game in which glaring opportunities were spurned. Klopp, though, knows the Uruguayan possesses sufficient raw qualities for him to come good eventually.
Baj of tricks for Liverpool
Much will rightly be made of the composure Stefan Bajcetic demonstrated to notch the first senior goal of his fledgling career. But far more telling was the fact the 18-year-old was on the pitch to score it.
Klopp had no qualms turning to the youngster when, with 11 minutes remaining and the game hanging precariously in the balance, Liverpool needed an injection of fresh legs and ideas.
Bajectic brought both, taking less than two minutes to show the innate composure that has so impressed the Reds coaching staff this year by taking the ball around Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen and firing between the legs of Tyrone Mings on the line.
At 18 years and 65 days old, he became the youngest player to score as a substitute in the Premier League for Liverpool since Michael Owen against Tottenham Hotspur in November 1997. And shortly afterwards, Ben Doak became the fourth-youngest Reds representative in the top flight when emerging for a lively late cameo.
Yet it was the experienced midfield of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara that laid the foundations for this triumph, Fabinho particularly impressive while Henderson also shone before succumbing to the effects of the virus that has swept through the club. Having been maligned for much of the campaign, the engine room deserves plaudits here.
Ox and Keita benefit from Klopp trend
From Emre Can, Adam Lallana through to Gini Wjnaldum, Jurgen Klopp has always been happy to use players approaching the end of their contract, should he feel they remain of value to the team.
And Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the latest to benefit, handed a first Premier League start in more than 10 months when given the nod on the left wing. The 29-year-old can be happy with his contribution, not least during the first half when his barnstorming run down the left flank sparked the sequence of events that ended with Liverpool's second.
The midfielder understandably tired as Villa ramped up the intensity after the break, and he was replaced at the same time another imminent free agent, Naby Keita, made his first top-flight outing of the season, the Guinean putting himself about and helping Liverpool yank back the initiative in the final quarter.
With a condensed second part to the season – there remain 23 games in the Premier League alone – Klopp is going to need every player. But the pursuit of Cody Gakpo has perhaps hinted Liverpool are already looking to the future.
READ NEXT:
- Virgil van Dijk sent brutal Cody Gakpo message to Man United before Liverpool launched transfer bid
Marcel Brands has already admitted Liverpool are the perfect destination for Cody Gakpo
Liverpool's next five Premier League fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Chelsea
Trent Alexander-Arnold sends Liverpool message in less than five minutes against Aston Villa
