Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa: Mohamed Salah penalty secures win on Steven's Gerrard Anfield return

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard made a losing return to Anfield as Liverpool continued their pursuit of Premier League leaders Manchester City with a hard-earned victory.

Gerrard's response to the adulation was low-key as his Villa side, who had won three of his first four games in charge since arriving from Rangers, set about making life difficult for Liverpool and frustrating the Kop.

Villa achieved their aim, aided by fine saves from keeper Emi Martinez, until they were finally undone in the 67th minute when Tyrone Mings bundled Mohamed Salah to the ground, the Egyptian scoring the spot-kick in emphatic fashion, the win leaving Liverpool in second place a point behind Manchester City.

Substitute Danny Ings almost took advantage of a late mix-up between Liverpool keeper Alisson and Joel Matip which left Villa fans demanding a penalty in vain, but Jurgen Klopp's side closed out the win.

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Gerrard suffers Anfield disappointment

Gerrard made it clear he wanted points not sentiment on his emotional Anfield return and his body language from the start made that very plain.

He walked out on to the turf he graced for so long to a predictable reaction, but his first move was to illustrate exactly where his loyalties lay, applauding Villa's fans warmly before giving a polite wave in the direction of the Kop.

And his Villa side, while short on attacking ideas, made Liverpool work relentlessly for any rewards, defending with resilience and assisted by a top-class keeper in Martinez before Mings allowed Salah the one moment he needed to escape before he brought him down.

Martinez went the right way but there were no stopping Salah's penalty as Anfield roared its relief.

Villa then started pushing and Ings almost wrote another Anfield old boy story line when he just failed to take advantage of that Liverpool defensive mix-up in the closing minutes.

Gerrard will be disappointed his side could not maintain the defensive discipline that kept Liverpool at arm's length for so long. Villa also struggled to create any attacking impetus until it was too late, when they briefly threatened to snatch an unlikely point.

He will be satisfied, however, with many aspects of Villa's performance. It was not the winning Anfield return he wanted but his impact can be seen already and he has raw materials to work with.

Liverpool bandwagon rolls on

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's trademark triple fist pump in front of the Kop after the final whistle carried a touch of relief as well as celebration after a game in which their persistence and patience was tested by Villa's organisation and determination.

This was not the flowing Liverpool that has steamrollered so many teams so often, but they stuck at it and eventually got their reward in the shape of the decisive penalty.

The success of Villa's game plan was reflected in the Kop's frustration and the sound of regular penalty appeals until referee Stuart Attwell eventually pointed to the spot.

Liverpool were rarely troubled at the back, although for long periods it looked like old boy Gerrard might just leave his former Anfield stage with a point.

Klopp's side cannot inflict destruction on teams every week, and on a day when their rivals City and Chelsea also had penalties to thank for narrow victories, Liverpool will take his victory as it came and move on.

Player of the match

RobertsonAndrew Robertson

with an average of 7.35

• LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool
• Aston VillaAston VillaAston Villa

Liverpool

Avg

1. Squad number26Player nameRobertson

   Average rating

   7.35
2. Squad number11Player nameMohamed Salah

   Average rating

   7.25
3. Squad number4Player namevan Dijk

   Average rating

   6.86
4. Squad number10Player nameMané

   Average rating

   6.83
5. Squad number18Player nameMinamino

   Average rating

   6.80
6. Squad number14Player nameHenderson

   Average rating

   6.77
7. Squad number20Player nameDiogo Jota

   Average rating

   6.77
8. Squad number3Player nameFabinho

   Average rating

   6.70
9. Squad number6Player nameThiago Alcántara

   Average rating

   6.65
10. Squad number32Player nameMatip

    Average rating

    6.64
11. Squad number15Player nameOxlade-Chamberlain

    Average rating

    6.55
12. Squad number66Player nameAlexander-Arnold

    Average rating

    6.51
13. Squad number7Player nameMilner

    Average rating

    6.50
14. Squad number1Player nameAlisson

    Average rating

    6.47

Aston Villa

Avg

1. Squad number7Player nameMcGinn

   Average rating

   6.84
2. Squad number1Player nameMartínez

   Average rating

   6.40
3. Squad number11Player nameWatkins

   Average rating

   6.12
4. Squad number20Player nameIngs

   Average rating

   5.96
5. Squad number2Player nameCash

   Average rating

   5.83
6. Squad number19Player nameNakamba

   Average rating

   5.82
7. Squad number4Player nameKonsa

   Average rating

   5.82
8. Squad number5Player nameMings

   Average rating

   5.81
9. Squad number6Player nameDouglas Luiz

   Average rating

   5.81
10. Squad number41Player nameJ Ramsey

    Average rating

    5.77
11. Squad number3Player nameTargett

    Average rating

    5.75
12. Squad number18Player nameYoung

    Average rating

    5.66
13. Squad number10Player nameBuendía

    Average rating

    5.55
14. Squad number8Player nameSanson

    Average rating

    5.47