Liverpool’s Premier League title ambitions were dealt a blow as they were held to a thrilling 2-2 draw by Aston Villa on Wednesday, a result that left both teams with a sense of frustration.
While Liverpool remain at the summit of the table, Arne Slot’s side now hold an eight-point lead over second-place Arsenal, although the Gunners have a game in hand, offering them a glimmer of hope in the title race.
Mohamed Salah put the Reds in front early, but Liverpool were forced to fight back after Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins turned the tide in Villa’s favour. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deflected shot earned Liverpool a point, but it could have been more, had Darwin Nunez not squandered a golden opportunity to snatch a late win. Villa, too, came agonizingly close to taking all three points in stoppage time, with Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen both firing just wide.
For Villa, the result does little to boost their hopes of securing a Champions League spot next season, as they remain in ninth place.
Liverpool’s 2-2 draw extends their unbeaten Premier League run to 22 games, but after their second consecutive draw in eight days, Arsenal will be hopeful of narrowing the gap, especially with Liverpool set to face Manchester City on Sunday.
In response to a disappointing 1-1 draw against 10-man Ipswich, Unai Emery handed Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio their first starts for Villa. Rashford nearly had a hand in Villa’s opener but was offside before his cross led to an own goal by Virgil van Dijk.
The opener came in the 29th minute, when Villa’s error gifted Liverpool a chance. A wayward backpass from Andres Garcia fell to Diogo Jota, who squared the ball to Salah for his 29th goal of the season.
Villa responded quickly, leveling the score in the 38th minute when Liverpool failed to clear a free-kick properly, allowing Tielemans to volley in a classy finish.
Jota had an immediate chance to put Liverpool back in front but fired high and wide with only goalkeeper Emi Martinez to beat. Villa then took the lead before the break, with poor defending from Liverpool allowing Watkins to meet Lucas Digne’s cross with a header into the far corner.
Rashford, looking to make an impact for his new side, had a great chance just after half-time, but after rounding goalkeeper Alisson Becker, he was denied by Ibrahima Konate’s superb clearance off the line.
Liverpool came alive in the second half, looking to extend Slot’s remarkable record of never losing an away Premier League match. Jota rattled the crossbar with a stunning effort from the edge of the box, and Alexander-Arnold leveled the game on the hour mark with a deflected shot off Tyrone Mings.
With both sides pushing for the win, Slot introduced Luis Diaz and Nunez off the bench in search of a decisive goal. Nunez, though, missed an open goal after being set up by Dominik Szoboszlai, before Martinez was forced to race off his line to thwart Nunez’s second attempt on goal.
As the game neared its conclusion, Villa threatened to steal all three points. Jacob Ramsey’s strike was ruled out for offside, while Rogers and Malen both saw powerful efforts narrowly miss the target in a thrilling final stretch.
