In Jürgen Klopp’s last away game as Liverpool coach, the Reds let victory slip from their grasp late on at Aston Villa. The Villans are now on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League
With three defeats in a row under his belt – including a 2-0 loss at Olympiakos in the Conference League semi-finals – Villa coach Unai Emery made a change. Tielemans replaced Cash (not in the squad) in what could be a crucial match for Champions League qualification.
Jürgen Klopp’s team are already guaranteed a place in the Premier League, but have no chance of winning the Premier League title. The Reds coach, whose departure has been a foregone conclusion for several months, also made one substitution after the 4-2 win over Tottenham, bringing on Gomez for Robertson (not in the squad)
Martinez misses, Tielemans equalizes
The euphoria was already palpable at Villa Park before kick-off – but it was dampened after just 61 seconds of play. Elliott’s seemingly harmless cross, which Pau deflected slightly, was headed into his own net by Villa keeper Martinez
The Villans were not completely unimpressed by this unfortunate goal, but from then on got into the game better and better. The home side’s comeback culminated just a few minutes later when Tielemans netted the equalizer in goal-scoring style (12′).
Gakpo gives the Reds the lead at the break
Aston Villa also had the better opportunities after the break, but they were prolific in their chances. Both Diego Carlos (36′) and Diaby (43′) missed miserably to equalize after Gakpo had put the Reds ahead in the 23rd minute following an assist from Gomez.
Things did not get any less turbulent after the restart – quite the opposite. Once again, the Reds got off to the better start and struck early, this time in the person of Quansah, who scored his first Premier League goal with a header from Elliott’s pinpoint free-kick (48′).
Joker Duran scores the brace late on
The video assistant took on the leading role, denying Watkins (52) and Elliott (59) a goal for offside. Villa also missed further great chances (Diaby, 67th / Zaniolo, 69th), meaning that the Reds were 3:1 up deep into the final phase and almost everything pointed to an away win.
However, the visitors had not reckoned with the Villans – and in particular the substitute Duran. The Colombian, who had only replaced the injured Zaniolo in the 79th minute, first took advantage of a momentous loss of possession by Mac Allister (85th) and then, just three minutes later, unorthodoxly scored the final goal with his left knee
Wolverhampton visit Anfield Road in Jürgen Klopp’s final home game as Liverpool manager, having deliberately kept a low profile on the touchline. Aston Villa, who would be guaranteed a place in the top flight if Tottenham lose to ManCity (Tuesday, 9pm), visit Crystal Palace at the same time (both 5pm).
