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Nov 1, 2025 8.00pm
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Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Mohamed Salah equals Wayne Rooney record to help end losing run

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Mo-vember has begun: Salah hits new milestone as Liverpool end PL losing run
© Imago

Mohamed Salah hit a new goalscoring landmark and equalled a Wayne Rooney record as Liverpool ended their Premier League losing run in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield.

Aiming to avoid suffering five straight Premier League losses for the first time ever, Liverpool had to weather an early storm but soon took the game by the scruff of the neck, thanks to Villa being the masters of their own downfall.

Shortly after Hugo Ekitike's header was disallowed for offside, Salah capitalised on a catastrophic error to put the Reds ahead on the stroke of half time with a momentous goal - his 250th in the red jersey and one that also saw him match Rooney's record for the most PL involvements for one club.

The Egypt international joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as just the seventh Liverpool player to score so many goals for the club, and the champions had their tails up at the beginning of the second half, where Ryan Gravenberch's deflected strike doubled the holders' advantage.

Back in the groove and back on the podium places, Liverpool have risen to third in the Premier League table but remain seven points behind Arsenal, while the Lions sit three points worse off in 11th.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

© Imago / Propaganda Photo

How Liverpool needed this. How Slot needed this. How the Kop needed this.

Not a single one of Arne Slot's predecessors in the Premier League era had presided over five straight top-flight defeats, while only the 2016-17 Leicester City side had suffered five successive losses as reigning Premier League champions.

The Reds' form could hardly have been more contrasting to Villa's, as Emery's men were seeking their fifth consecutive win in the first tier, but the Spaniard's game plan crumbled thanks to his players' dreadful attempts to retain possession.

One goal came from Villa losing the ball while trying to play out, the other from an aimless Martinez long ball, and the West Midlands side did not do anywhere near enough during their forays forward either.

Not quite New Year, new Liverpool, but new month, new Liverpool? This was much more like it from the holders, who could not have relit the blue-touch paper at a better time before the impending Champions League visit of none other than Real Madrid.

MATCH ANALYSIS FROM ANFIELD

Liverpool journalist and expert David Lynch was in the Anfield press box to witness the Reds end their Premier League losing run against Aston Villa.

Catch Lynch's on-the-whistle match analysis here, including what aspect of Liverpool win would have pleased Slot the most.

LIVERPOOL VS. ASTON VILLA HIGHLIGHTS

Mohamed Salah goal vs. Aston Villa (45+1 min, Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa)

Just as Aston Villa escaped one scare - Ekitike's offside goal - the visitors concede in calamitous circumstances!

Martinez is the culpable party, as his pass out to Pau Torres is overhit and finds a grateful Salah, who calmly rolls the ball into an empty net.

Ryan Gravenberch goal vs. Aston Villa (58th min, Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa)

Game, set, Gravenberch?

Martinez elects to go long this time after several seconds of deliberation, but Virgil van Dijk nonchalantly heads the ball down to Cody Gakpo, who in turn finds Alexis Mac Allister.

The Argentine swiftly lays off his midfield partner Gravenberch, who strides forward and lets fly with a strike that deflects off Pau Torres's leg and flies into the centre of the goal past a beaten Martinez.

MAN OF THE MATCH - MOHAMED SALAH

The less said about some of Salah's displays this season the better, and the Egypt international was handed his goal on a plate tonight, but this was by far his best all-around display of the season.

Salah ran Lucas Digne ragged all evening, completing four successful dribbles and winning two fouls, and two new landmarks were just reward for a more Salah-like performance.

LIVERPOOL VS. ASTON VILLA MATCH STATS

Possession: Liverpool 54%-46% Aston Villa

Shots: Liverpool 16-10 Aston Villa

Shots on target: Liverpool 4-3 Aston Villa

Corners: Liverpool 1-4 Aston Villa

Fouls: Liverpool 13-11 Aston Villa

BEST STATS

WHAT NEXT?

For Liverpool, the big one, and another big one - Real Madrid in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday night, followed by Manchester City at the Etihad next Sunday.

On Aston Villa's end, the Lions host Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Thursday's Europa League tie, three days before hosting Bournemouth in the top flight before the international break.

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