Aston Villa have beaten Liverpool 3-1 in their Premier League match at Anfield on Monday evening, with an own-goal from Lucas Leiva giving the visitors the lead, before Curtis Davies doubled the scoreline before half-time.
Fernando Torres pulled a goal back late in the game, but minutes later Steven Gerrard conceded a penalty, which Ashley Young tucked away to give Martin O'Neill's side a valuable away win.
The game started at a fairly decent pace, with both sides showing intent, but it was the home side who were first to settle and Liverpool had an early chance in the match.
Yossi Benayoun was latched onto a chip from Fernando Torres, with the Israeli beating Villa keeper Brad Friedel, but his header went wide of the Villa goal.
Liverpool continued to press and were unlucky not to score after Steven Gerrard, then Fernando Torres, then Yossi Benayoun all managed to have shots blocked by the Villa defence.
Villa began to get into the game and Liverpool were caught-out by a set-piece which was tipped in by one of their own men.
It was an own-goal that gave Aston Villa the lead, with Lucas Leiva unwittingly deflecting the ball into the net with his head from a free-kick by James Milner in the 33rd minute, which beat the diving Pepe Reina in the Liverpool goal.
Liverpool attempted to draw level before the break, but Friedel did well to palm away a shot from Torres, before Villa began to gain momentum.
Aston Villa scored their second goal of the half which came from a header from Curtis Davis from a corner from Nicky Shorey, deep into stoppage time, much to the consternation of Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, who believed that the referee should have blown for half-time a minute beforehand.
Steven Gerrard almost drew a goal back early in the second-half, with Friedel again saving well to deny the Liverpool skipper and the home side continued to press in the early stages of the second period.
Friedel made some impressive saves to deny Steven Gerrard’s free-kick and a header from Dirk Kuyt, while Nicky Shorey blocked another Kuyt header from the goal-line to keep Villa’s two-goal advantage alive.
Aston Villa came close to making it 3-0 after Gabriel Agbonlahor played a perfect cross to the onrushing Nigel Reo-Coker, but the Villa midfielder failed to connect with the ball.
Liverpool had a penalty appeal waved away by the referee for a foul on Torres before the Spaniard pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute, much to the delight of the home fans.
Emilano Insua was the provider, breaking down the left-wing and playing the ball into the path of Torres, who knocked the ball past Friedel from close-range to make it 2-1.
Less than two minutes later Steven Gerrard conceded a penalty to Villa after a rash tackle on Nigel Reo-Coker, with Ashley Young slotting home the spot-kick to make it 3-1 to the visitors with 15 minutes of normal play left.
Babel replaced Benayoun as Liverpool looked to pull a goal back, but the Villa defence and the immense frame of Brad Friedel denied the Liverpool attack from pulling a goal back.
Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey replaced Ashley Young, who seemed to have picked up a knock, in the 80th minute, while the home-side began to get irritated, meanwhile the travelling Villa fans were relishing their lead.
Javier Mascherano forced a corner with just over a minute of normal time to play, but yet again Torres was denied by Friedel, with Glen Johnson’s shot seconds later parried away well by the American keeper.
The match finished 3-1 to Aston Villa, with Brad Friedel excellent between the sticks and the Villa defence showing extraordinary resolve in fighting off the Liverpool attacks, while Liverpool will be rueing their missed chances and Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva will be wondering what happened to them.
Liverpool 1-3 Aston Villa:
Goals:
Liverpool:
Fernando Torres 72.
Aston Villa:
Lucas Leiva (O.G) 34,
Curtis Davis 45+2,
Ashley Young (pen) 75.
Liverpool Team: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Insua, Mascherano, Lucas Leiva (Voronin, 66), Kuyt, Gerrard, Benayoun (Babel, 76), Torres.
Liverpool Substitutes Not Used: Cavalieri, Riera, Kelly, Dossena, Ayala.
Aston Villa Team: Friedel, Beye, Davies, Cuellar, Shorey, Milner, Sidwell, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor.
Aston Villa Substitutes Not Used: Guzan, Albrighton, Delfouneso, Delph, Heskey, Gardner, Lowry.
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