Liverpool v Aston Villa player ratings: Salah 8, Mane 7; Mings 7, Luiz 5

Steven Gerrard's return to Anfield ends in narrow defeat

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  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 5: The Brazilian was unusually hesitant and did not communicate well with the defence. He got into a real mess when he tangled with Ings late on. AFP

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7: The 23-year-old caused havoc with his crosses. Where others found dead ends, the full back created chances. AFP

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  Joel Matip - 8: The centre back was assured throughout and in the right place when an Alisson error offered Young an opportunity. He looked to get forward whenever the chance arose. AP

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  Virgil van Dijk - 6: The Dutchman was below his usual standard and did not appear to enjoy the physical battle with Watkins. He went close with a header from a corner. EPA

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  Andrew Robertson - 7: The Scot charged up and down the line and worried Villa. He had a header saved by Martinez and crossed when he might have shot. AFP

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  Fabinho - 7: The Brazilian was in control for most of the game. Villa’s late spell of pressure forced him out of his comfort zone but he rose to the challenge. EPA

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  Thiago Alcantara - 6: The 30-year-old had a lot of touches but few showed real purpose against the packed defence. He was replaced by Milner with six minutes to go. AFP

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  Jordan Henderson - 7: The captain engaged with Villa with his usual vigour but was unable to carve out too many chances for his forwards. AP

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  Mohamed Salah - 8: The Egyptian was a constant menace to the massed defence. He forced Martinez to save at the near post and earned and scored the crucial penalty. EPA

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  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 5: The 28-year-old had some good moments but found himself on the periphery too often. He was withdrawn in the 58th minute for Jota. PA

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  Sadio Mane - 7: The Senegalese toiled against the packed ranks of defenders but never let them settle. He was withdrawn for Minamino with two minutes to go after running himself into the ground. Reuters

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  SUBS: Diogo Jota - 6: The Portuguese came on for Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 58th minute and ran hard at the defence but could not find too many weaknesses. He let one late chance go begging. Reuters

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  James Milner - 6: The 35-year-old had a six-minute runout against his former club after replacing Thiago. He made his presence felt with some strong challenges. AFP

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  Takumi Minamino - 6: The Japanese was given two minutes on the pitch in place of Mane. There was barely any time for him to make an impact. PA

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  ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez - 7: The Argentinian made a number of saves, the highlights being a sharp stop at the near post from Salah and palming away Van Dijk's header from a corner. AP

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  Matty Cash - 6: The 24-year-old found Mane to be a handful but came out of the battle with credit. He was caught out by Robertson’s overlaps too often, particularly in the first half. AFP

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  Ezri Konsa - 7: The 24-year-old was calm under pressure. A slack pass nearly let Jota in towards the end but it was a rare lapse. AP

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  Tyrone Mings - 7: The captain was a huge presence in the centre of defence, blocking and clearing the relentless pressure. He finally buckled and gave away the penalty after been fooled by Salah’s brilliance. AFP

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  Matt Targett - 7: The 26-year-old made a great block from Alexander-Arnold and fought hard against the dual threat of the full back and Salah. Reuters

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  John McGinn - 7: The Scot was kept busy trying to stop the constant wave of attacks. He was much more effective than his midfield colleagues. EPA

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  Marvelous Nakamba - 5: The Zimbabwean dwelt on the ball in midfield, a situation that led to a first-half booking. He was unable to stop the swarming Liverpool raids and came off in the 57th minute for Sanson. AFP

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  Douglas Luiz - 5: The Brazilian was caught in possession too often. He was quiet until Villa’s late attacking spell when he was more prominent. Getty

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  Jacob Ramsey - 5: The 20-year-old started keenly and was not afraid to run at the defence. His impact lessened because he was isolated and he was withdrawn in the 74th minute for Ings. AFP

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  Ashley Young - 7: The 36-year-old was given a forward-looking role and created a couple of nervous moments for Alisson. He showed his experience by killing time before being taken off with 21 minutes left for Buendia. AFP

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  Ollie Watkins - 6: The striker worked hard and got more joy out of Van Dijk than Matip. He rarely had a sniff of goal, though. AFP

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  SUBS: Morgan Sanson - 6: The Frenchman replaced Nakamba in the 57 minute and showed flashes of threat. He lacked composure on the ball, something that may come with more playing time. AP

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  Emi Buendia - 5: The winger joined the action in the 69th minute for Young. He had a chance to shoot but passed to Cash instead, which was a mistake. Getty

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  Danny Ings - 6: The former Liverpool striker got on the pitch in the 74th minute for Ramsey. He was busy, disruptive and worried Alisson. AFP

Steven Gerrard’s Anfield homecoming ended in disappointment and a 1-0 defeat at the boot of Mohamed Salah as Aston Villa’s resilient display could not eke out a point against Liverpool.

The former Reds captain was back at his boyhood club in a professional capacity for the first time since leaving in 2015 and while the locals were pleased to see him again, they were happier he left empty-handed.

Liverpool had their chances but it was not until Tyrone Mings pulled down Salah in the 67th minute that their resistance was broken by the Egyptian’s 15th consecutive successful penalty – his 21st of the season.

That ensured they kept pace a point behind leaders Manchester City and a point ahead of Chelsea in the three-way title race.

It was always going to be an uphill task for Gerrard despite three wins in four matches and a narrow defeat to Manchester City since taking over as he just does not have the quality of his opponents at his disposal.

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