Arne Slot may find it tough to process a draw that nonetheless strengthens his team’s position at the top. Liverpool’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa was a frustrating one, especially after Darwin Núñez missed a golden chance to give them a late lead. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s second-half equalizer kept their unbeaten away record intact, but missed opportunities, including Diogo Jota’s glaring miss, left Liverpool with only a point.
For Arsenal, eight points behind with a game in hand, this result could offer some encouragement. Villa took a first-half lead after Mohamed Salah’s early opener for Liverpool was cancelled out by goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins. Marcus Rashford, making his first Villa start since joining on loan, impressed but saw a disallowed goal after his low cross deflected off a defender and into the net.
Villa showed resilience after Liverpool’s early dominance, with Rashford’s attacking runs and Marco Asensio’s involvement causing problems. Rashford almost put Villa ahead when he was denied by Alisson after a mistake from Ibrahima Konaté, but his disallowed goal from a tight offside call followed.
In the second half, a defensive lapse allowed Salah to put Liverpool ahead, but Villa equalized quickly through Tielemans’ volley. Jota had another chance to restore Liverpool’s lead but missed, and Villa surged forward, with Watkins scoring a header to make it 3-2.
Rashford faded after a bright start, but Villa kept pressing, with Liverpool also having opportunities, including a header from Jota that went wide. Both sides made substitutions, with a final late push from Liverpool as Núñez failed to score after a clever pass from Conor Bradley. Villa almost stole the win in stoppage time, but Jacob Ramsey’s effort was ruled offside, and Donyell Malen missed a chance to win it for Liverpool as the match ended 1-1.
