Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa player ratings: Premier League title omen for Reds with another win

The Reds hosted Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday night, a potentially tough game. But they were buoyed by Manchester City dropping points against Brighton.

Goals in either half from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah did the trick for Liverpool to secure the 2-0 victory. It means Slot has now won as many as nine of his first 11 matches as a Premier League manager, just the fourth man to achieve that feat.

Liverpool have also taken 28 points from their opening 11 league games this season. They’ve only collected more points from their opening 11 Premier League games once more — in 2019-20 when they took 31. Liverpool fans don’t need us to tell them what happened at the end of that campaign (they won the title).

Liverpool player ratings

Caoimhin Kelleher: 71%

The Irishman kept a clean sheet and prevented 0.61 goals, thanks to two fantastic saves in the first half. Those were the only two saves he had to make, not too involved in the game.

Connor Bradley: 63%

Came on for Trent Alexander-Arnold in 25th minute and had a solid game, though he wasn’t tested too much. Defensively, Bradley won two tackles and 1 aerial duel. He also made four clearances and won possession four times in the defensive third, more than any other player in the match.

Ibrahima Konate: 68%

Konate was a rock at the back for Liverpool, though he wasn’t needed too much. The Frenchman made four clearances, won one tackle and made two interceptions retaining possession. He also won 100% of his duels, both aerial and on the ground. Konate was key to Liverpool keeping the ball too, with a retention rate of 92.94%.

Virgil van Dijk: 62%

Van Dijk was less busy than his centre-back partner, but he did chip in with two clearances and four ball recoveries. The Dutchman was almost perfect on the ball though, boasting a retention rate of 95.9%.

Defensively, Robertson didn’t have to do too much, but he did make one interception retaining possession and three clearances. At the other end of the pitch, Robertson created one big chance and had three touches inside the opposition box, completing two crosses.

Ryan Gravenberch: 75%

This was another strong defensive performance from Gravenberch. The Dutchman made four interceptions retaining possession, more than any other player on the pitch. He also won a joint-match-high two tackles and won possession four times in the middle third. Gravenberch helped Liverpool keep control of the match too, with a retention rate of 90.79% and completed all three of his attempted take-ons.

Alexis Mac Allister: 59%

Mac Allister was the most advanced of Liverpool’s central midfielders, but he was still in a defensive role. He won two tackles and contributed to three high turnovers, more than any other player on the pitch.

Mohamed Salah: 72%

Salah ended the game with a goal and an assist, though the latter wasn’t an intentional one. The Egyptian created two big chances and scored with his only shot on target. Salah also had six touches in the opposition box and completed 13 final third passes. He’s the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to achieve the double-double of 10+ goals and 10+ assists across all competitions this season.

Curtis Jones: 70%

Jones started in a more attacking position but was very much one of Liverpool’s sitting men. In his time on the pitch, Jones made an incredible nine recoveries and won possession four times in the middle third. He also won possession four times in the defensive third, proving very tough to bypass.

Luis Diaz: 63%

Fresh off a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen, this was a quieter game from Diaz. The Colombian completed three of his attempted six take-ons and had seven touches in the opposition box, with three chances created. But he didn’t get a shot on target himself.

Darwin Nunez: 76%

What a performance. Nunez scored the opening goal for Liverpool, capping off a fast break. He did miss two big chances, but Nunez was always involved. He had three shots on target and overperformed his xG by 0.32. The Uruguayan also seven touches in the opposition box, with one high turnover.

Aston Villa player ratings

Emiliano Martinez: 51%

He wasn’t helped much by his defence, and made three saves. But Martinez did concede two goals from a total post-shot xG of 1.25.

Ezri Konsa: 50%

Konsa did make a goal-saving tackle near the end of the match, one of two tackles he won. He also made four clearances. But Konsa only won possession once in the defensive third, was dispossessed in his own half and didn’t help at the other end of the pitch.

Diego Carlos: 51%

Carlos made just one clearance and had a 25% success rate in his ground duels. But he did win possession six times in the defensive third and made eight ball recoveries.

Pau Torres: 55%

It was a tough night for Villa’s defence. Torres made three clearances and won one tackle, but was part of a backline to concede nine shots from inside the box. Villa faced a total xG of 2.02.

Lucas Digne: 64%

Digne was a dangerous man for Aston Villa going forward, creating one big chance, completing three crosses and having two touches in the opposition box. But he also did his bit defensively. The Frenchman made a whopping five clearances, more than any other player. Digne also won possession three times in the defensive third

Amadou Onana: 61%

Onana did what he could to try to keep Villa in the midfield battle. The Belgian made three interceptions retaining possession and won two tackles during his time on the pitch. Onana also won two aerial duels, and 100% of his total duels, with three possessions won in the defensive third.

Youri Tielemans: 59%

Tielemans was slightly less effective than his teammate, with two interceptions retaining possession. He was better at holding onto the ball with a retention rate of 86.67%, and a 90.63% open play passing accuracy. Tielemans also created one big chance, but Villa missed his influence higher up the pitch.

Leon Bailey: 59%

He could have been sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity, even if the referee looked to have waved play on, in the build up to Nunez’s goal. He did make nine ball recoveries though. At the other end of the pitch, Bailey did complete his one attempted take-on but he only had one penalty area entry and didn’t create a chance.

Morgan Rogers: 53%

It was a rough night for Rogers, who did manage to create two chances. But he was dispossessed twice, had four unsuccessful touches and only completed seven final third passes. Rogers didn’t manage to test the Liverpool defensive himself either.

Jacob Ramsey: 58%

Ramsey completed two take-ons against Liverpool before coming off just before half-time due to injury. He also had three touches in the opposition box and three ball recoveries. Villa will be hoping he’s okay to return soon after the international break.

Ollie Watkins: 53%

When Unai Emery tried to change the game, Watkins was one of the first Villa men to be taken off. It was a poor night for the striker, who failed to hit the target with any of his three attempts. He did have four touches in the opposition box, but that was about it for his involvement.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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