Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw at Villa Park in a thrilling encounter that saw both teams fight back from behind. Despite dropping two points, the Reds extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points.
Arne Slot made one change to the side that defeated Wolves, with Curtis Jones returning to the starting XI. The game started at a high tempo, and Liverpool capitalized on an early Villa mistake. In the 26th minute, a poor backpass from Diego Garcia was intercepted by Diogo Jota, who unselfishly set up Mohamed Salah to slot home and give the Reds the lead.
However, Villa responded strongly. Youri Tielemans equalized in the 37th minute with a well-taken volley after Liverpool failed to clear their lines. Just before halftime, Villa took the lead through Ollie Watkins, who headed home from a Lucas Digne cross. Liverpool were furious as the goal came after a clear handball by John McGinn in the build-up, but VAR allowed it to stand.
The second half saw Liverpool push for an equalizer, and they found it in the 60th minute through Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right-back played a neat one-two with Salah before his deflected shot found the back of the net.
Both managers made changes to freshen things up. Slot introduced Conor Bradley and Darwin Nunez, while Villa brought on Donyell Malen and Matty Cash. Nunez had a golden chance to win it for Liverpool in the 67th minute, but he blazed over from close range after being set up by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Villa also had late chances, with Malen firing just wide in stoppage time, but neither side could find a winner.
While the draw feels like two points dropped for Liverpool, the result extends their lead at the top of the table. The Reds now turn to their next fixture, a crucial clash against Manchester City, who are reeling from a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
