While Aston Villa are trying to make history in Istanbul next week, Liverpool might have to watch a few old videos to cheer themselves up.
In 2005, the Reds had one of their greatest nights in the Turkish city when they defeated AC Milan in the Champions League Final. Unlike Villa, Arne Slot’s men still have work to do to qualify for the competition and need to beat Brentford next Sunday to be certain.
Villa, meanwhile, will travel to Turkey for the Europa League Final against Freiburg with their Champions League place secure thanks to this victory – an outstanding achievement for Unai Emery, who was somehow excluded from the Premier League’s manager of the year shortlist. ‘Shame on Your list,’ wrote his right-hand man Damian Vidagany on X.
Slot’s name was never going to be on there and though the Dutchman insists his job at Anfield is safe, this was an untidy performance that placed another question mark against his position. ‘Sacked in the morning,’ crowed the Holte End and more displays like this will give the Liverpool hierarchy plenty of thinking to do.
A brilliant set-piece routine allowed Morgan Rogers to give Villa a half-time lead and though Virgil van Dijk equalised, a double from Ollie Watkins put the home side clear and John McGinn rounded it off with one of his side’s goals of the season. Van Dijk’s second in stoppage time was little consolation.
‘Up the Villa!’ bellowed Emery when he returned to the pitch to thank the fans. ‘We are going to Istanbul! To play in the Champions League again is something fantastic.
Aston Villa scythed through Liverpool and secured themselves Champions League football
Liverpool by contrast will have much more to do to keep their place at Europe’s top table
Later he added: ‘Now we focus on the final. We have to be ready. To play finals is very difficult. We had a fantastic season in the Premier League and I am so proud.’
For Villa’s last Premier League fixture here, against Tottenham on May 3, Emery made sweeping changes and paid the price as his side were dreadful in losing 2-1.
He did not take that risk again. Unless Amadou Onana can recover in the next few days, this starting XI will surely be the one Emery chooses against Freiburg on Wednesday, and his team began brightly, too.
With 10 goals in 11 games, Watkins is making a powerful case to make England’s World Cup squad and he was in the mood here. Collecting a pass from Emi Buendia early on, the forward burst outside Van Dijk only to fire high and wide. Soon afterwards Giorgi Mamardashvili wandered too far and was robbed by Rogers, forcing Ibrahima Konate to make a crucial defensive header.
Mohamed Salah and Florian Wirtz were fit enough only to be on the bench for Liverpool, whose first chance came when Van Dijk headed back into the danger zone where neither Curtis Jones nor Cody Gakpo could finish the job.
The hosts could have no finer preparation for their Europa League final than the confident showing on home soil
Alexis Mac Allister was among the players who failed to distinguish themselves, with the Argentina star unsuccessfully trying to get Ezri Konsa sent off
With half-time approaching, Villa undid Liverpool from a corner. Rogers left the box as though for a short one before returning – allowing him to shake off Rio Ngumoha. In the meantime, Lucas Digne had collected a return pass from McGinn and found Rogers in space. The Villa man did the rest from 15 yards and ran to congratulate set-piece coach Austin MacPhee.
Ngumoha had looked Liverpool’s liveliest player and early in the second half he nearly created an equaliser. The 17-year-old zoomed past Matty Cash and crossed invitingly to the far post, where both Jones and Szoboszlai were thwarted.
The visitors did not have to wait long. Villa switched off from a Szoboszlai free-kick, allowing Van Dijk to sneak around the back and plant a header into the far corner.
Ngumoha was so close to making it two when he cut inside and hit the post with a low swerving effort that left Martinez stranded – but Gakpo put the rebound into the North Stand.
How Liverpool regretted that. There seemed little danger when Szoboszlai had the ball in the right-back spot but when the Hungarian lost his footing, Rogers needed no second invitation and Watkins guided the cross home artfully.
Liverpool were all over the place and Mamardashvili was twice called into action to deny Watkins a second. With Liverpool ragged, Villa pushed to close the deal. Emi Buendia was allowed to wander in unopposed from the left and his angled effort hit the bar.
Before the corner could be taken, Ezri Konsa survived a check for a possible red card after tangling with Alexis Mac Allister. Liverpool were furious and Villa added insult to injury when Youri Tielemans volleyed Buendia’s corner goalwards, Mamardashvili spilled the rebound to Pau Torres and though he kept that one out, Watkins was waiting to tap in his second.
With time ticking away, McGinn found the top corner with a glorious effort from the angle of the box and Emery hurled his jacket skywards in celebration. Van Dijk’s second, another far post header from Szoboszlai’s cross, could not change the mood. Freiburg have been warned.
