Sluggish Liverpool have Roberto Firmino to thank for Villa win

Liverpool have Roberto Firmino to thank for that.

Do not let this scoreline fool you. Liverpool 2-0.

Aston Villa had everything to play for today and Dean Smith just might be staring down a sacking if Villa do indeed go down.

So Villa came to play, with only 28% of first half possession they stymied a Reds offense that looked anaemic for solutions throughout the first 45.

Villa had the best of the chances as each side could only manage a single shot on frame in the opening period.

Liverpool looked slow and imprecise in the buildup and their passing accuracy was absolutely horrendous. I don’t know how many times I saw passes played behind their intended targets, forcing the player to backtrack to play the pass or keep possession.

This in itself, as much as a Villa defense, throttled down any opportunity for a quick counter break. Villa parked the bus with two solid lines of four at the back.

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They were content, it would seem, to let Liverpool control the ball and tempo. The way they set up almost invited Jurgen Klopp’s lads to beat them with a cross from the wings.

With no such cross forthcoming the Reds were frustrated and it was apparent in the players faces and in Klopp’s sideline demeanour as the half ended.

The much lauded Liverpool high press, and their trademark counter pressing was absent, or completely ineffectual for all of 69 min. Time and again Liverpool would lose 50/50 balls in the middle of the park. I’m sure that Villa won a solid 75% of these balls between the boxes.

A nifty little pass across the box from Naby Keita found Sadio Mane for a strike that caromed off the crossbar into the back of the net for their much needed first goal.

What the scoresheet does not reveal is Roberto Firmino’s slipping into the six yard box toward the near post dragging two defenders with him. Leaving Mane wide open for the ball sliding across the box.

Once again Firmino shows his value beyond scoring goals. Without this movement, Mane is obstructed from receiving the pass.

I do not agree with the boss’s team selection here.  Only after he brought Jordan Henderson and Firmino on in the second half did the Reds come alive to get that first important strike.

Even then, Villa played solid harassing defense winning balls that the lads in Red usually hoover up as a matter of course. So the second goal from a fresh and hungry Curtis Jones gave Liverpool the much needed cushion to finish out the match.

Still Villa played ‘never say die‘ football to the very final whistle.

It is three points, and another clean sheet victory at home, but the Reds, after four matches in the mini-tourney restart still have not found their form and the inconsistency is bothering, and worrisome.

Just thank god the Premier League has already been decided. With five fixture remaining, to see out the string, Klopp and the lads will find their way forward no easier. This was the last easy match (on paper, at least), with Arsenal in London and Chelsea at home still looming.