A real test for each team, both Liverpool and Villa have gotten off to starts that neither is overjoyed about. Liverpool looked good midweek versus Stoke, but still have major concerns about class and talent to make a title run that they so desperately desire. Aston Villa has a young dangerous midfield that is slowing becoming one of the best in the league, but they needed to show it at the Kop in an effort to better their 6th place finish last year. An exciting game lead to an interesting result.

Liverpool came out and dominated early on, but squandered three good chances, including one where Gerrard, then Benayoun, then Gerrard again each whiffed in front of goal. Foolish fouls cost Liverpool as they conceded via own goal off an Ashley Young free kick, and then a corner via Davies' head. Villa's midfield and defense were impressive as they stymied many Liverpool attacks, and Javier and Lucas continue to not look to be the solution for the loss of Xabi Alonso. After a good goal from Torres, Gerrard made a foolish tackle in the box to allow Ashley Young to bury both a PK and quite possibly Liverpool's title aspirations. This was Liverpool's first home defeat since December '07, and only Villa's third win in forty two tries against the big four under O'Neil. They appear to be teams headed in different directions, as Villa fans can be overjoyed with a brilliant result, while Liverpool's faithful begin to question Rafa and the squad he has assembled.

 

Other Notes:

-ESPN's coverage is spectacular. The announcers appreciate the game, and some of their best moments were those where they were silent and enjoying the flow of the game with the fans. Well done ESPN, well done.

-If Liverpool's troubles on the field aren't enough, it appears that they are growing team mullets, as Insua, Kuyt, Lucas and even Torres appeared to each be sporting a mini-mull. If this continues, I will start to cover them as Mulletpool.

Ratings:

Liverpool

Reina 6 – His distribution was flawless, but he couldn't really be expected to make any impact on any of the goals. Needed to manage his back line better.

Insua 5.5 – Played a great ball across to Torres, but was unsteady on the ball and beaten for pace at times. It took him nearly 75 minutes to contribute something offensively, which was part of Liverpool's disjointed offensive woes.

Carragher 5 – Was relatively shaky in the back. Lost his composure early in the second half and it cost them. His face screaming at one point was a brilliant depiction of how Liverpool looked all day. Was partially responsible for the second goal, needed to beat Davies to the ball front post instead of standing behind him.

Skrtel 6.5 – Was the best man on the field for Liverpool. Continues to win balls in the area consistently and was quick enough to stay with Agbonlahor when he was coming forward. Impressive match for an unimpressive side.

Johnson 6 – Attacked well and created a couple dangerous opportunities where his strikers should have done better. Defensively wasn't threated too often but the right side was too open at times, especially as Reo Coker and Sidwell streaked forward.

Benayoun 4.5 – Gave the ball away too much. Looked lost. Didn't really create anything too dangerous and gives Liverpool almost no width on the left, where they were lacking it in a major way.

Gerrard 4 – Dangerous offensively, took multiple good shots and played some nice balls in. His tackle on Reo-Coker was so foolish and detrimental that it killed all of Liverpool's momentum and any chance they had to recover. It seems he has to carry too much of the burden already, and it shows.

Kuyt 4.5 – Squandered his opportunities. Killed multiple attacks with poor passes, could not sneak in like he normally finds ways, and just seemed out of sync today.

Lucas 3.5 – Played so poorly that I felt bad for him. Unlucky on the own goal that he headed in, but miserable with the ball at his feet, was poor in the tackling department, and looks so out of place that he looked relieved when Voronin came in for him.

Mascherano 4 – Continues to look lost without Xabi Alonso. Consistently got into bad tackles, often cynically and I cannot understand how he did not receive a card for his poor challenges. His passes left his teammates desiring more, and Villa's midfielders spent their time dominating his midfield.

Torres 5.5 – Put away a nice finish, but wasted too many chances. Mainly responsible for the second goal, his defensive effort on the play was appalling as he watched Davies stand in front of him, then jump and flick it past him for the goal. Seemed quite whiny, and received an appropriate yellow after speaking to the ref one too many time.

Subs

Babel 5 – Created some havoc with his speed, was too ready to call his own number from long distance, but worth getting a starting shot in the next match.

Voronin 5.5 – Brilliant dummy on the goal, looked dangerous, but still leaves something to be desired as a forward.

Aston Villa

Friedel 9 – Simply magnificent. Made at least four spectacular saves, and kept the tide from turning multiple times. Stoned Torres from point blank at least twice, and did well with strikes from distance that would have done in a lesser man.

Shorey 7 – Made a couple nice tackles, was quite steady on the left. Did not contribute too much offensively, but helped contain Kuyt well. His corner to Davies was brilliant and what Villa really needed.

Davies 8 – Spectacular. Won everything in the air, paired with Cuellar very well, made multiple great tackles against Torres and Gerrard in rough spots. His goal was a back breaker, and put Liverpool into disarray. Quite well done, he looks quite promising and got our well deserved man of the match honors.

Cuellar 7.5 – He played very well, shutting down one of the toughest strikers in the world. His tackling was sublime, and never put a foot wrong during the game. Had no chance on the goal, but his distribution and effort in the air was dandy. A great team defensive effort that he was a key part of.

Beye 7 – Dealt with everything well, especially a Kuyt run into the box that could have been quite problematic without his brilliant step in. Opened well on the right side and played many good balls forward to Milner and Young.

Milner 7 – Quite dangerous going forward, he was a key part of a great midfield defensive effort. It seemed he was always poking the ball away from the Pool midfielders, and was quite creative from the wing. His distribution was good and he sprung others a couple times in the box.

Sidwell 7 – Again, another complete performance from a Villa midfield that outclassed and outperformed their opposite number. His passing was spot on, and was a force in the middle on defense.

Petrov 7.5 – Certainly the unsung hero of the match, Petrov was consistent in defense, regularly releasing his wingers forward, and drew the foul that lead to the first goal. He also blocked multiple shots and looked ferocious in the center of the park. His passes were spot on, and his work rate was admirable.

Reo-Coker 7.5 – Amidst a foolish yellow card was a steely performance where he had the game changing run into the Liverpool box where Gerrard took him down, setting up the Young PK that buried Liverpool's hopes and dreams. His runs throughout the game were defense splitting and he barreled through the center of the park effectively. His defensive effort was up to par with the rest of the midfield.

Young 7.5 – His innocent looking free kick was redirected into the goal to give Villa the lead, but his real contribution were his flashing runs off the wing toward goal and setting up his teammates. He stepped up and buried the PK under immense pressure, and continues to impress.

Agbonlahor 7 – Created constant pressure up top, was not completely in sync with his teammates at time, but worked extremely hard and passed well. Took a couple good shots but could not put one away.

Subs

Heskey 5 – Made minimal impact in a short period coming in when Young was injured.

PS guess who predicted this result correctly? See if you can match my results next week with our EPL predictions!