Aston Villa 2-2 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

Thank you very much for joining me.

Here is Ben Fisher’s report from Villa Park.

Unai Emery: “The draw is fair for both teams becasuse they had good chances to score. Against Liverpool you get moments and chances like we had. We competed to the last moment. We were more or less competing well. We were excited and motivated for the second half.”

I suspect the person who feels down is Nunez after his dreadful miss.

Slot added that he did not know the severity of Bradley’s injury but it’s not great when someone pulls up.

Arne Slot: “I am not so happy. If you look at the game, we created far more chances than them. We did everything we had to do to win. the only thing that was not perfect was conceding from a set-piece. It is clear I am not happy with the 2-2.

“We were close to playing a very good game except for conceding from a set-piece.

“The pressure is always on you if you are Liverpool. It does matter where we are in the league table but there is always pressure whether you play for Liverpool or Arsenal. We are happy where we are. We have played some games where we deserved more than we got. Tonight, if one of the teams deserved to win tonight, it was us.

“There is one person in the dressing room that feels quite down.

“Jota and Trent could only play 60 minutes, that’s why we had to make those changes. “

Virgil van Dijk: “A bit disappointed. We had chances to win the game and took more risks, so we were more open.

“Disappointed to concede from a set-piece. We tried everything tonight but it wasn’t enough.

“It was well deserved and we should have scored after that for 3-2. Now we move on for the next one and have to keep fighting.

“This is the Premier League so it is physical for everyone, not just for us. We have a very tough game at the weekend. Our focus is on Man City, a very difficult game. We have to fight every second on the pitch and win the games.”

If you want one-sided football … Real Madrid v City is still happening.

The home team will be most pleased with the result in the end but either side could have won it. Liverpool are eight points clear of Arsenal but have played a game more.

90+4 mins: Cash takes aim from distance and fires with power but Alisson is behind it.

90+3 mins: The Belgian sends it deep and Gravenberch flicks it away. Villa lifts it back into the box and the ball eventually comes to Rogers in a good position but he whacks his shot well over.

90+2 mins: Cash gets into the box and tries to find a cross but it is cleared. Villa come straight back at Liverpool and get a corner on the right. Tielemans to take …

90 mins: Five minutes added on.

89 mins: “Nothing about Ian Maatsen convinces me he’s an upgrade on Digne. Or even a suitable back-up, honestly,” says Benjamin. “Alex Moreno was better, and very unlucky to lose his place on the basis of Maatsen’s arrival, in my view. He’s shown plenty at Forest to suggest that was a - relatively rare - poor move for Villa.”

88 mins: Martinez comes to claim a corner and holds on to take the pressure off his defence.

Bradley is on the deck and needs some treatment. Alisson does not fancy his chances of carrying on. Quansah is stripped and ready.

86 mins: Villa knock it around inside their own box, causing a few gasps in the crowd but the beat the press and make it up the other end. Sadly, for the hosts it comes to nothing.

Bogarde on for McGinn.

84 mins: “Here’s a possible new chant for the Villa faithful,” suggests Kieran McKintosh.

It’s Villa Park, the home of 2-2 draws. Watkins is through, he shoots and he scores. We took Arsenal’s title, and now we’ll take yours. It’s Villa Park, the home of 2-2 draws!

83 mins: Robertson swings in a corner from the right and Liverpool eventually win another corner on the other side, although the last touch is from Szoboszlai.

Pawson, maybe realising his mistake, gives a free-kick to Villa for a foul.

81 mins: NO GOAL! It is a great pass through for Ramsey who takes it on and slots beyond Alisson but the Villa man is very much offside.

80 mins: Malen takes aim from 20 yards and whacks a shot, which is deflected wide by Jones.

Alisson comes and claims the ball then immediately smashes a long kick up the pitch for Salah. He holds it up and lays a pass to Nunez who does not have the confidence to shoot and then passes the ball straight out for a goal kick.

Diaz on for Mac Allister.

78 mins: I feel like this game deserves a winner. I feel Liverpool are the more likely to do it but I could be wrong.

Rogers does well and picks out Malen inside the box, he looks for someone close to goal and wins a corner for his troubles.

Maatsen is on for Digne.

76 mins: Emery has called back someone else from warming up.

74 mins: Nunez looks like he is about to latch onto a loose ball but Martinez races 30 yards out from his goal and tackles the Uruguayan!

73 mins: Nunez is needlessly stood in an offside position, the ball comes to him and the flag goes up.

Damian Clarke on Nunez: “Sounds like Darwin should get some sort of award.”

It’s good stuff.

72 mins: Rogers dissects the defence and Malan reaches the pass, it takes the ball a bit wide before shooting, making life tougher for himself. Alisson saves and the flag goes up regardless, although I do not think he is offside.

70 mins: WHAT A MISS! Bradley slips a superb pass between centre-back and full-back for Szoboszlai who tickles it across to Nunez for a tap into an almost empty net but the Uruguayan skies it from a few yards out.

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68 mins: Which set of subs will give their team the edge?

67 mins: A double sub from Liverpool but a triple one for Villa. Garcia, Asensio and Rashford off, Cash, Malen and Ramsey on.

66 mins: Asensio has the chance to play in Rashford but he gets the pass all wrong and Van Dijk intercepts. This is very much fun and games now.

Alexander-Arnold and Jota off, Bradley and Nunez on.

64 mins: Pinball in the Villa box ends with Robertson’s jabbed shot being deflected for a corner. Mac Allister whips it in, Martinez comes to punch but it hits someone on the back and the Argentinian has to grab hold before he goes into the net.

Slot is readying Bradley and Nunez.

GOAL! Salah has the ball on the edge of the box and lays it off to a marauding Alexander-Arnold who pings a shot which hits Mings and deceives Martinez.

A huge deflection off Mings bamboozles Martinez.

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