Aston Villa v Liverpool player ratings: Watkins 6, Bailey 4; Salah 8, Nunez 6

Reds claim a 3-1 win at Villa Park to close the gap on the top four in the Premier League table

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  ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Robin Olsen 5 – Positioned well to stop Darwin Nunez in the first half, but an overall disappointing night with three goals conceded. Reuters

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  Ashley Young 5 – Struggled to deal with the overlapping runs of Andy Robertson. Rash with his passing out from the back. EPA

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  Tyrone Mings 5 – Made some positive interventions but had to do better to close down the space for Liverpool’s third goal. Reuters

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  Ezri Konsa 4 – Sloppy at times with his defensive work and wasn’t able to match Darwin Nunez’s movement. PA

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  Lucas Digne 5 – Unconvincing with his work for the majority of the match, and that was exemplified by when he was beaten far too easily by Ben Doak late-on. AP

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  John McGinn 5 – Worked hard throughout the match but had to do much better with his chance in the second half. It looked as though he lost sight of the ball at the back post. Reuters

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  Boubacar Kamara 6 – A strong display from Kamara who displayed his passing range on the day. Key in several of Villa’s best chances. PA

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  Douglas Luiz 4 - Sloppy in the challenge which saw him commit a number of fouls. PA

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  Leon Bailey 4 – Fluffed his lines early-on with a glowing chance for Villa. Struggled in the battle against Andy Robertson. AFP

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  Emiliano Buendia 6 – Came in and out of the game in spells, but put in some promising crosses that Liverpool struggled to deal with. AP

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  Ollie Watkins 6 – Finally got his goal after he was presented with a number of chances. Had the ball in the back of the net but was marginally offside. Reuters

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  SUBS: Leander Dendoncker (Bailey 86') N/A – On for Bailey as part of a late triple substitution. Getty

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  Philippe Coutinho (Kamara 86’) N/R – Not enough time for the former Liverpool star make an impact on the game. Reuters

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  Danny Ings (Buendia 86’) N/R – Another former Liverpool player, the striker should have been introduced earlier. AP

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  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson 7 – The Brazil international was assured between the posts, but Aston Villa should have done more with their chances from promising areas. Reuters

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold 8 – A sublime pass with the outside of his foot was crucial in Liverpool’s opener, with the England international showing all of his quality at Villa Park. Getty

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  Joel Matip 6 – Passed the ball out from the back well but could have been more aware on occasions against Watkins’ movement. AFP

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  Virgil van Dijk 8 – Read the play well to intervene against Watkins and doubled Liverpool’s lead with a volley from inside the box. PA

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  Andy Robertson 8 – A standout performer as Robertson regularly profited from space down the left flank. Made two big chances in the opening five minutes and the second one found Salah who scored. Now holds the record for most assists for a defender in Premier League history with 54. Reuters

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  Jordan Henderson 7 – Commanded the midfield well and rarely made the wrong decision. A solid showing from the Liverpool captain. Reuters

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  Fabinho 7 – Aggressive in the challenge and made it difficult for Aston Villa to create from central areas. PA

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  Thiago Alcantara 6 – Struggled to deal with the rise in intensity from Aston Villa in the second half, and was eventually replaced. EPA

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  Mohamed Salah 8 – A goal and an assist for the Liverpool talisman, who looked sharp in the return to Premier League action. AP

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  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 6 – A positive performance from Oxlade-Chamberlain who can build on his work against Villa. Worked hard and was unlucky with some of his passes. Reuters

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  Darwin Nunez 6 – Missed countless chances but made things happen as usual. His work-rate was vital in Liverpool’s goal that sealed the game, after smashing the ball into a dangerous area. Reuters

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  SUBS: Naby Keita (Thiago 66’) 6 - Battled well in midfield. A poor effort on goal saw him blast the ball over the bar. PA

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  Harvey Elliott (Oxlade-Chamberlain 66’) 6 – Kept things ticking over when in possession and combined well with Robertson. Getty

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  Joe Gomez (Alexander-Arnold 79’) N/R - Faultless when brought on for the final stage of the game. AFP

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  Stefan Bajcetic (Henderson 79') 7 – Showed excellent composure to score just two minutes after coming on. EPA

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  Ben Doak (Nunez 87’) N/R – On for Nunez in the final minutes in what was a debut for the 17-year-old. Getty

Liverpool beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Monday thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Stefan Bajcetic to go sixth in the Premier League after a game filled with chances.

Salah tapped in the visitors' opener in the fifth minute after a sublime passing move from marauding wing-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.

Defender Van Dijk bagged Liverpool's second in the 37th minute with a superb left-footed shot after being set up by Salah, who would have been proud of the finish.

Ollie Watkins put Villa back in the game with a smart 59th minute header across goalkeeper Alisson Becker, before 18-year-old midfielder Bajcetic squeezed in Liverpool's third - his first senior goal - to secure the win in the 81st minute.

Goalscoring opportunities came aplenty for both teams as they peppered each other with high balls over the defences. Liverpool's Darwin Nunez was a nuisance throughout, missing a string of chances including a well-saved volley after he plucked the ball from high over his shoulder.

The result left Aston Villa in 12th place on 18 points, while Liverpool are on 25 points, one behind old rivals Manchester United in fifth but a daunting 15 behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Adam Brown has provided the player ratings from Villa Park in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.