Aston Villa 2-2 Liverpool: Match report & 3 talking points as Reds stumble in title race | OneFootball

Liverpool stumbled in their bid to be crowned Premier League champions on Wednesday evening as they drew 2-2 with Aston Villa.

The hosts were the architects of their own downfall in the early stages as mistakes in possession proved costly, with Mohamed Salah punishing Andres Garcia's sloppy pass on the half-hour mark. But Liverpool would surrender their advantage and enter half-time behind after goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins turned the match on its head.

Trent Alexander-Arnold brought Liverpool level in the second half but they were unable to find a winner at Villa Park as they missed the chance to move ten points clear of title rivals Arsenal.

How the game unfolded

Liverpool struggled against West Midlands opposition at the weekend and were inches away from falling behind in Birmingham. Villa had the ball in Alisson's goal in the 16th minute after Marcus Rashford's cross forced Virgil van Dijk to bundle into his own net, denied by the offside flag.

Villa had offered encouragement in the final third but also gifted Liverpool their most promising opportunities in the opening half-hour - including Salah's 24th Premier League goal of the campaign. Wayward distribution in their own half was preyed upon by Arne Slot's high-octane Reds, with Diogo Jota benefitting from Garcia's hospital pass to tee up the Egyptian for a simple tap-in.

The Reds appeared set to take a nerve-easing one-goal cushion into the break but Tielemans had other ideas. The Villa midfielder found himself in the right place at the right time to take advantage of Liverpool's failure to clear a free kick, volleying home from ten yards after Dominik Szoboszlai's clearance fell kindly at his feet.

Diogo Jota should have immediately restored Liverpool's lead but produced an uncharacteristically wild effort when one-v-one against Emiliano Martinez, with Villa capitalising on the Portuguese's profligacy at the other end in first half stoppage time.

Liverpool felt they should have been awarded a free kick in the build-up when the ball struck John McGinn's arm, but Villa cared little as Watkins matched Lucas Digne's pinpoint cross with an excellent glancing header to complete a dramatic first half comeback.

Arne Slot resisted the temptation to make alterations at half-time and was rewarded for his patience just after the hour mark. Jota had struck the crossbar just a minute before Alexander-Arnold's deflected strike brought Liverpool level.

Darwin Nunez was one of Slot's first introductions from the bench and inexplicably fired an open goal over the crossbar just minutes after his arrival, with Jacob Ramsey scoring Villa's second offside goal of the game at the other end ten minutes later.

Villa looked the most likely to find a winner in the closing stages as Donyell Malen clipped the outside of the post in stoppage time, with Liverpool eventually grateful for the mercy of the full-time whistle as they moved eight points from Arsenal.

Check out the player ratings for Aston Villa 2-2 Liverpool here.

Nerves setting in for Liverpool

Liverpool are making life difficult for themselves / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

Slot fended off questions regarding Liverpool nerves in the Premier League title race after last Sunday's narrow win at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but those queries will be raised once again following dropped points at Villa Park.

Liverpool have been far from their best since the turn of the year and there was more evidence of their increasing struggles in the West Midlands as unconvincing defending and wasteful finishing proved costly in their bid to move ten points clear of Arsenal.

With clashes against Manchester City and Newcastle United to come over the next week, Liverpool will have to find sustainable solutions to their concerns rather than simply relying on the individual brilliance of Salah. If not, they're in danger of making life unnecessarily difficult for themselves in the closing months of the campaign.

Aston Villa thrive against giants once more

Aston Villa earned their point / Cameron Smith - Danehouse/GettyImages

While Liverpool forged the better opportunities - they created 2.4 xG to Villa's 0.7 xG - the hosts rose to the occasion to secure a hard-fought point. After a stumble against Ipswich Town at the weekend, Unai Emery's side once again proved they prefer playing against the division's giants.

Villa beat title competitors Arsenal and Manchester City last season and have so often looked at their scintillating best when facing the toughest opponents out there. While they were not quite able to hit their loftiest heights against Liverpool, they earned their point with some ruthless finishing and unwavering energy.

They enjoy playing against opposition who give them space to saunter into on the counter-attack, with Emery's men so lethal in transition. They continually caused issues for Liverpool's backline and were worthy adversaries for the league's best side.

More misery for Darwin Nunez

Darwin Nunez missed a glorious chance to win it for Liverpool / Molly Darlington/Copa/GettyImages

For all his flaws, Darwin Nunez has proven his ability to be a game-changer for Liverpool. Only last month, the Uruguayan was rising from the bench to score a crucial and match-defining stoppage-time brace against Brentford in the capital. But we saw the worst of the Reds' chaos machine at Villa Park.

Inconsistency and the ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory have proven Nunez's most frustrating attributes and the South American's dire open goal miss at Villa Park epitomised his Liverpool career to date.

With the goal gaping after Szoboszlai's selfless pass, Nunez did what he so often does and skied a seemingly simple finish over the crossbar, leaving Slot with his hands on his head and the travelling fans with a queasy feeling in their stomachs.

The miss continued to wreak havoc on Nunez's confidence for the remainder and several promising chances broke down at his feet as Liverpool frantically fought for a winner. Unfortunately for the centre-forward, it was another one of those nights.