Liverpool move away with five points after Núñez and Salah sank Aston Villa | first division

Any slip-up, whether 270 miles from Brighton or within the comfort of Anfield, will be pounced upon by Mohamed Salah. The Liverpool striker assured that Arne Slot's team took full advantage of Manchester City's latest defeat, in addition to Aston Villa's vulnerability to counterattacks, to extend their lead at the top of the table. first division. The early days, yes, but a five-point lead, 15 wins in 17 games under a new manager and Salah's sustained excellence have fueled Liverpool's confidence.

Salah was instrumental in Darwin Nunez's breakthrough against Unai Emery's team and sealed the victory in the end. Liverpool He headed into the international break with sky-high momentum and confidence. It was his tenth assist and tenth goal of the season in all competitions. The Egyptian international's long-term future at Liverpool may be in doubt, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, but not the decisive influence he continues to exert at 32 years of age.

Villa performed strongly and two decent penalty appeals were dismissed. But they lacked Liverpool's quality and precision in the final third. The visitors were also frequently exposed on the break, several times following their own corners, and a team of Liverpool's caliber does not need an invitation. “It was definitely a great week,” Slot said. “But every week is important when you face a lot of strong opponents. Hopefully we have many of these weeks to come. We are trying to compete for the League, the Champions League and the cups. We know that it is also a long season and that we have to be up to the task because Arsenal, Chelsea and City are capable of winning as many games as us.”

An unforeseen benefit of the 8pm kick-off, certainly from Liverpool's perspective, was the time it allowed to digest City's latest defeat. The sense of anticipation inside Anfield increased before kick-off. The Liverpool players also felt it and started with the intensity that Slot had lacked from the beginning against Brighton and Bayer Leverkusen. They took the lead thanks to a devastating counterattack from a Villa corner. Virgil van Dijk freed Salah behind an exposed defense with a magnificent pass. The striker was brought down by Leon Bailey, who could have been in serious trouble had referee David Coote stopped play immediately. However, he allowed play to continue and Núñez pounced on the loose ball, rounded Emiliano Martínez and finished clinically into the Kop End goal from a tight angle.

Coote also dismissed a Villa penalty appeal when Ollie Watkins went down in the box following a challenge from Ibrahima Konaté. Trent Alexander-Arnold retired with what looked like a hamstring injury moments later and had to be replaced by Conor Bradley. “I'd be surprised to see him play for the national team this week,” Slot said, although he doesn't know the extent of Alexander-Arnold's injury.

Núñez should have had a second when Liverpool broke into numbers from another Villa corner. Bradley's clearance allowed Salah to send the Uruguayan international running down the left but, once within range of Martínez's goal, Núñez fired. Not all of Villa's corners were a danger to themselves and they needed two excellent saves in quick succession from Caoimhin Kelleher to prevent Amadou Onana and Diego Carlos from heading Lucas Digne's deliveries.

Villa also had an excellent chance to equalize moments after the restart when Morgan Rogers burst into the area but missed his shot wide. Liverpool survived a video assistant referee review for a possible penalty when Bradley took out Pau Torres as they competed for a Digne free kick. “In Europe that is a shame,” Emery said. “I respect the referees' decision, but it was a clear penalty.”

With six minutes left in regulation time, and Torres appealing for a non-existent foul by Ryan Gravenberch inside the Liverpool box, the visitors unraveled once again at half-time. Carlos attempted to clear a long ball on the halfway line, but only managed to head it into Salah, who left the defender behind as they chased the rebound into Villa's half. The Egyptian international had options on his left, but beat Martínez with a spectacular finish to seal the victory and Liverpool's lead at the top.