Liverpool wins 2-1 against Aston Villa

    Liverpool drew level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City after beating Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park.

    Liverp Jurgen Klopp (left) gestures on the touchline during the Premier League match at Villa Park Liverp Jurgen Klopp (left) gestures on the touchline during the Premier League match at Villa Park

    The match was level at the break thanks to goals from Douglas Luiz and Joel Matip, before Liverpool's Sadio Mane scored in the 65th minute to secure the victory and keep their title hopes alive. Manchester City still has a game in hand and has a greater goal differential, but Liverpool is still in contention.

    Sadio Mane gives Liverpool the lead after an early opener by Douglas Luiz

    Jurgen Klopp's team had a terrible start to the match and fell behind after three minutes. Lucas Digne crossed the ball into the box before Joel Matip, and Konstantinos Tsimikas fell. Douglas Luiz then rose high for a header, which Alisson saved, before the Brazilian midfielder reacted quickly to give Aston Villa the lead on his 100th Premier League appearance.

    Liverpool had leveled the match within three minutes when they took advantage of Aston Villa's inability to clear their lines. Matip was presented with the ball following an effort by Virgil van Djik, and he bundled the ball home from close range.

    In a game that had been level until the half-hour mark, the visitors suffered a setback when defensive midfielder Fabinho was forced off injured.

    Liverpool's comeback was completed in the 65th minute when Sadio Mane scored Luis Diaz's cross.

    This was Mane's 15th season goal, and now Liverpool is the only Premier League team to have three players to have achieved this milestone in the same campaign: Mane, Salah, and Diogo Jota.

    Danny Ings, the Aston Villa striker, forced some good saves from Alisson in the latter stages, while his goal was ruled out for offside less than five minutes from time.

    Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool gamble pays off

    Jurgen Klopp gambled on his squad depth to keep Liverpool alive in the Premier League title race, even though Manchester City had made a potentially dangerous addition for next season.

    Klopp made five adjustments with Andy Robertson being given the night off, Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara were on the bench, and Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas were drafted in.

    It was an act of delicate balance, keeping performance high while trying to chase an unprecedented Quadruple, which poses difficult questions to Klopp as it includes games every few days.

    Now, as the league advances, Liverpool's hopes of a quadruple still remain alive with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

    However, Klopp's team still trails Manchester City despite the win. This is due to their lower goal differential. Liverpool will now face Chelsea in a FA Cup match.