Coach Unai Emery still fielded an almost strongest squad in the reception of Liverpool even though they are about to enter the Europa League final.
Right from the first minutes, Ollie Watkins coordinated with Morgan Rogers before launching a shot forcing goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to save. After that, Villa also created some more good chances but missed them all.
In the opposite direction, Liverpool once put the ball into the home team's net after Cody Gakpo successfully rebounded from Emiliano Martinez's save before Ryan Gravenberch's shot. However, the goal was disallowed for offside.
As Liverpool gradually controlled the game, Aston Villa suddenly opened the score right before halftime. From a short corner kick combination, Liverpool's defense continued to reveal weaknesses in defending against dead balls, creating conditions for Morgan Rogers to curl a beautiful shot to put the home team ahead.
Stepping into the second half, Liverpool quickly found an equalizer thanks to Virgil van Dijk's header after a difficult cross from Dominik Szoboszlai. Not long after that, Rio Ngumoha almost helped The Kop come back when his curling shot hit the post.
However, Liverpool pushed themselves into a difficult position when Szoboszlai slipped, creating an opportunity for Rogers to assist Watkins to finish coldly to increase the score to 2-1.
Although Mamardashvili continuously made impressive saves, the Georgian goalkeeper still could not prevent Watkins from completing a double with a close-range tap-in after two consecutive saves.
Not stopping there, John McGinn also scored another super curling shot into the top corner, before Van Dijk scored to narrow the score for Liverpool in injury time.
Despite the defeat, Liverpool will still win a Champions League spot if Manchester City defeats Bournemouth. In unfavorable circumstances, they still have the right to decide in the final round against Brentford.
On Aston Villa's side, this is their second victory against Liverpool in the last 17 encounters. Unai Emery's team can now focus entirely on the Europa League final in Istanbul, where they set a goal to end their 30-year title drought.
