Aston Villa 2 Liverpool 2: Reds drop vital points in title race as Darwin Nunez blows golden chance to win game

SURELY they are not going to stroke it. Or could Liverpool truly messiness this up?

To beryllium 8 points wide – contempt having played a crippled much than Arsenal – volition person been beyond Arne Slot’s wildest dreams erstwhile helium took implicit astatine the commencement of the season.

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Liverpool dropped 2 important points astatine Villa Park[/caption]

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Darwin Nunez missed a aureate accidental to springiness Liverpool the win[/caption]

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Aston Villa fought hard to gain themselves a effect against Europe’s premier team[/caption]

But aft this gully astatine Villa Park, and it was really a existent cracker, determination volition beryllium a fewer disquieted Liverpool fans retired there, fearing their squad are astir to present 1 almighty rubric choke.

Mo Salah struck his 29th extremity of the play lone for Villa to deed backmost with goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins.

Trent Alexander-Arnold equalised with a deflected changeable disconnected Tyrone Mings and though some teams had their chances, and Villa came adjacent to grabbing a victor successful the 95th infinitesimal – decision for either squad would person been harsh.

So, aft specified a stunning season, Liverpool were ever going to person a spot of a wobble and present it is. 

They mislaid to Plymouth successful the FA Cup, drew with Everton and aft an unconvincing triumph implicit Wolves, failed to bushed Unai Emery’s squad who had not won immoderate of their erstwhile 4 Premier League games.

Whether Liverpool acquisition a spot of a blip oregon a full-scale catastrophe remains to beryllium seen.

But what should beryllium of comfortableness for Liverpool is that adjacent if they bash endure a mind-blowing assurance crisis, you person to wonderment whether Arsenal person what it takes to judge an unfastened invitation to articulation the rubric race.

On caller evidence, astir apt not.

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Mohamed Salah opened the scoring[/caption]

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Youri Tielemans equalised conscionable 9 minutes later[/caption]

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But aft his squad were pushed each of the mode successful Birmingham, Slot’s broadside indispensable present hole for Sunday’s travel to Manchester City and a location crippled against unpredictable Newcastle adjacent Wednesday.

Failure to triumph some matches and it truly volition beryllium squeaky bum time.

Equally, though they were not astatine their best, you person to springiness Villa immoderate recognition who did good aft conceding early.

Marcus Rashford delivered an encouraging show successful his archetypal commencement and the aforesaid applies to caller accomplishment Marco Asensio

Yet the commencement was ominous for Villa arsenic they were battered by Liverpool.

Virgil van Dijk delivered a chaotic decorativeness into the Holte End, Diogo Jota had a goal-bound changeable blocked by Tyrone Mings and past steered a a header wide erstwhile helium was wholly unmarked.

Van Dijk besides avoided being credited with an ain extremity aft sticking Rashford’s transverse into his ain nett arsenic the Villa nary 9 – pursuing a one-two with Asensio – was intelligibly offside.

While this was a clear-cut decision, Villa were possibly fortunate with immoderate of Craig Pawson’s decisions.

Axel Disasi was fortunate to lone person a yellowish paper aft lashing retired astatine Alexis Mac Allister who seemed to get a punch successful the head.

Yet Liverpool’s moaning soon stopped acknowledgment to a existent acquisition from Andres Garcia who passed the shot consecutive to Jota who had been looking lively each night.

Jota squared to Salah who, having missed an casual header a fewer moments earlier, lifted the shot into the net.

So, Salah’s 29th extremity of the play came successful the 29th infinitesimal and helium volition not person had an easier 1 this season.

Ref Pawson, though, besides upset the locals by not sticking to the missive of the law. Alexander-Arnold someway avoided a booking for delaying the restart by kicking the shot away.

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Ollie Watkins enactment Villa up earlier the interruption with a guided header[/caption]

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Trent Alexander-Arnold enactment Liverpool backmost level successful the 2nd half[/caption]

Had helium been watching this, Arsenal’s Declan Rice, handed a 2nd yellowish paper for a much subtle nudge of the shot earlier successful the season, volition person been raging.

Villa responded soon aft going behind. Rashford took a free-kick which helium besides won, and Liverpool failed successful their 2 attempts to wide the properly.

First Ibrahima Konate did not get capable region connected a header, and past Domink Szoboszlai who, alternatively than instrumentality the shot down for a corner, nodded it towards a grateful Tielemans who volleyed a changeable past Alisson.

You could spot the content that this gave Emery’s broadside and the 2nd goal, successful archetypal fractional injury-time, was outstanding contempt Liverpool’s grievances implicit a handball from John McGinn successful the build-up.

Watkins delivered a superb decorativeness with a header but helium besides combined superbly with Morgan Rogers successful the build-up.

As Lucas Digne crossed, Watkins had timed his tally from the borderline of the country to a presumption conscionable down Van Dijk to conscionable the cross.

That extremity knocked the stuffing retired of Liverpool and it took them 15 minutes of the 2nd fractional to benignant themselves out.

Alexander-Arnold got his squad level though his changeable did instrumentality a deflection disconnected the footwear of Tyrone Mings conscionable arsenic keeper Emi Martinez had committed himself.

Although helium had been playing well, Jota was substituted, and his replacement Darwin Nunez instantly missed a aureate chance.

You tin spot wherefore helium infuriates Liverpool fans.

The Uruguayan blazed implicit from nary much than 7 yards retired with the extremity astatine his mercy. A extremity that would person enactment 1 manus connected the Premier League trophy for Liverpool.

With 9 minutes left, Jacob Ramsey delivered a calm decorativeness beyond Alisson but helium was offside. Then heavy into stoppage time, sub Donyell Malen was a whisker distant from scoring a melodramatic winner.

Only a constituent for Slot – but it could person been overmuch worse. And the wealth is inactive surely connected Liverpool to wrapper this rubric up.

Darwin Nunez missed a aureate accidental to springiness the Red the lead