Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers can breathe a sigh of relief after his side secured a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa at Anfield this afternoon.

James Milner scored inside the first two minutes, while Daniel Sturridge netted twice on just his second game since returning from a five-month spell on the sidelines with injuries.

Rudy Gestede was able to pull two goals back for Villa, but it was not to be as the Midlands outfit recorded their fifth Premier League defeat of the season.

Below, Sports Mole has rated each player out of 10 for their performances at Anfield.

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Goal

Simon Mignolet: Made decent punch at full stretch to thwart an Alan Hutton cross, and could do nothing to stop Gestede's header in the second half. (6/10)

Defence

Martin Skrtel: Struggled to compete with Gestede in the air, but looked relatively comfortable as Villa refrained from pressing when Liverpool were in possession. (6/10)

Mamadou Sakho: Put in some well-timed tackles when called upon, but was unable to keep Gestede quiet for the most part. (6/10)

Emre Can: Could have been left red-faced when his clearance fell into the path of Gestede, but the Villa man missed the target by inches. Left the forward unmarked when he scores his first goal for the visitors. (4/10)

Alberto Moreno: Acted as a wing-back and had plenty of joy on the right and was able to put in some decent deliveries into the area. Used his pace to get past his marker numerous times. (7/10)

Nathaniel Clyne: The former Southampton man was also used as a wing-back and looked dangerous when on the attack. The downside to his game was that he was unable to deliver many good crosses into the area. (7/10)

Midfield

Lucas Leiva: Did a job in midfield that usually doesn't grab the headlines. Tackled well and broke up play in the middle of the park. A constant commanding presence for Liverpool this afternoon. (8/10)

James Milner: Scored inside the first two minutes and covered all areas of the pitch to ensure that Liverpool stayed on time. Worked well with Philippe Coutinho and provided service for the strikers. (9/10)

Philippe Coutinho: Involved in the majority of Liverpool's goalscoring chances and was able to find pockets of space throughout the game. Grabbed assists for two of his side's goals. (8/10)

Attack

Danny Ings: Grew in confidence as the game went on and could have scored himself in the second half. Linked up well with Sturridge as he aims to make the most of Christian Benteke's injury. (8/10)

Daniel Sturridge: After spending five months out of action with various injuries, Sturridge showed today that it won't take him long to return to his best after scoring twice. The most important thing for the England international is that he stays fit. (9/10)

Substitutes

Joe Allen: Replaced Sturridge in injury time and was just added to the game in order to run down the minutes. (0/10)

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Goal

Brad Guzan: Despite conceding three goals, Guzan did well to make sure that his team did not leave Anfield on the end of a hammering. Showed good judgement when coming off his line. (7/10)

Defence

Alan Hutton: His brilliant cross from the byline let to Gestede's opening goal, but in defence, he was troubled trying to stop Moreno's runs. (7/10)

Micah Richards: Squandered a chance to score with a header, but was decent at the back as he made a number of crucial blocks. (6/10)

Jolean Lescott: Did not make himself a commanding presence, but he did make some stops to deny Liverpool. (6/10)

Jordan Amavi: Defended well as he was able to prevent Clyne from causing too much trouble with crosses. (7/10)

Midfield

Ashley Westwood: Came close to scoring in the first half and looked comfortable on the ball when passing from the middle of the park. (6/10)

Carlos Sanchez: His defensive duties this weekend were excellent, but struggled to break up play. (7/10)

Idrissa Gueye: Returned to the pitch after missing three games due to a hamstring injury, but failed to impose himself due to Lucas' strong presence in midfield. (6/10)

Jack Grealish: Was priced at £60m by his manager this week, but he failed to have a big influence on the game and lost the ball on occasion. (5/10)

Attack

Rudy Gestede: Brought down the deficit twice with two goals, the second of which was a classic striker's header. Proved to be a nuisance to Liverpool's defence, but his efforts were not enough to get something out of the game. (8/10)

Substitutes

Jordan Veretout: Was brought on in the second half to inject some attacking play, and did so by showing creativity in the middle of the park. (6/10)

Adama Traore: Replaced Grealish and was able to quieten Moreno in the final 20 minutes of the match. (6/10)

Written by
Danielle Joynson