Liverpool 3 Aston Villa 0

Gerard Houllier endured a horror return to Liverpool as Villa slumped to their fourth successive defeat after being torn apart at Anfield, writes Brendan McLoughlin.

The Reds were two up within 16 minutes courtesy of David Ngog and Ryan Babel strikes before Maxi Rodriguez added a third after the break on what was another disastrous night for the Villans.

They have now picked up just seven points from their last 10 Premier League games, leaving them perilously poised just two places and two points above the drop zone.

Equally worrying is the standard of their performances, which have tailed off noticeably since their draw with Manchester United last month.

Houllier, who was handed a warm reception by the home crowd on his return to Anfield, gave a surprise recall to fit-again winger Marc Albrighton in place of the injured Barry Bannan, while Stephen Ireland stepped in for the suspended Ashley Young.

However, it was not long before the defensive frailties so apparent in Wednesday's Carling Cup defeat to Birmingham resurfaced.

Just 14 minutes in Roy Hodgson's team had the lead when a Reds corner was headed back into the six-yard box by Martin Skrtel and Ngog powered it goalwards with a diving header.

And two minutes later the Reds doubled their advantage when Ciaran Clark gave the ball to Lucas cheaply in midfield, the Brazil international lofted a ball through to Babel, whom replays showed was narrowly offside, and, after getting the better of the hapless Warnock, the Dutchman ruthlessly fired across Brad Friedel and into the left corner.

It was more poor play from Villa but they only had themselves to blame.

Reds keeper Pepe Reina did not have a save of note to make in the entire first half with a James Collins header which comfortably cleared the crossbar the visitors' biggest chance of note.

In fact, it could easily have been 3-0 to the home side at half-time with defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos heading over a free-kick after a clumsy Albrighton foul.

Houllier brought on Nathan Delfouneso for Clark upon resumption in a desperate attempt to claw Villa back into the game and it did briefly result in an improvement.

Villa's first real chance of the game came on 53 when Downing went clear down the left and crossed into the six-yard box for the sliding Gabby Agbonlahor but his effort was smothered by Reina.

And the claret and blues were left ruing that miss three minutes later when Rodriguez emphatically steered a Babel cross into the top-right corner.

Albrighton and Agbonlahor were replaced by Robert Pires and John Carew midway through the second half but it was too little too late for Houllier's men.

Friedel saved superbly from Glen Johnson after he left Pires and Warnock for dead down the Reds right, while Jonathan Hogg cleared another Kyrgiakos header off the line as the Reds laid siege to the Villa goal in the closing stages.