Analysis: Aston Villa fire too many blanks in Liverpool defeat

That was probably the main lesson from Villa’s first Premier League defeat of the Unai Emery era.

Villa created more than enough chances to take something from a match in which their overall performance contained more than a few positives.

But the failure to take them, coupled with the same lack of poise in their own penalty box, meant they were always on to a loser against a Liverpool team, who for all their struggles in the early part of the season still rank among one of the best in Europe.

Though Villa might have failed to make it three top-flight wins from three since Emery replaced Steven Gerrard, there was still enough here to suggest the second half of the campaign could be plenty of fun.

Yet there was also a reminder of the gulf in quality which exists between those teams who challenge at the top of the table and those battling for the lower standings underneath.

Villa could match Liverpool for long periods but could not never conjure a goal so breathtakingly clinical as the one which put the Reds ahead after four minutes.

There seemed little danger when Leon Bailey hacked clear a corner but four touches later the ball was in the back of the Villa net. Two of those belonged to Trent Alexander-Arnold, the second of which with the outside of his right boot sent the ball curling behind John McGinn and into the path of Andrew Robertson, who sent his first touch hurtling across the face of goal for Mohamed Salah to tap home.

By then Ollie Watkins had already missed the chance to put Villa ahead after just 45 seconds when he fired weakly at Alisson Becker having been put through on goal.

The striker would then send a diving header into the ground and straight at the keeper when picked out by John McGinn and when he did find a finish, in the opening minute of the second half, he watched in dismay as the effort was ruled out by a raised assistant’s flag.

His goal which did count, just prior to the hour mark, was more than deserved but ultimately only a consolation as Villa, two down at that point after Virgil van Dijk had capitalised on slack defending at a corner, could not find an equaliser before 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic effectively ended the contest with his first senior career goal nine minutes from full-time. Watkins was far from the only player missing chances. Darwin Nunez, his opposite number, was arguably more wasteful but had a stronger supporting cast to cover his mistakes.

Villa, as a team, lacked composure. Leon Bailey skied over from a great position early in the first half and then failed to make decent contact with an inviting Lucas Digne cross after the break. The latter also shot weakly at Alisson when well placed, while McGinn repeated Watkins’ trick of heading into the ground and straight at the keeper from six yards out.

After two matches where the head coach barely put a foot wrong, Emery’s decision to leave his starting XI on the pitch for 85 minutes was puzzling. By the time Danny Ings was introduced to the fray, Villa were already 3-1 down and their chances of getting back into the game all but gone.

The positive is they continue to look a very different animal from the one which laboured so badly in attack under Gerrard.

In the five matches since he departed, they have scored 10 goals and the criticism is they should have netted more. In the matches against the best teams, it makes all the difference.

Villa and Emery get the chance to take down another big gun when they visit Tottenham on New Year’s Day. By then they are likely to have a World Cup winner in the starting XI in the shape of Emi Martinez.

Robin Olsen, who deputised in place of the Argentinian here, enjoyed arguably his best performance for the club but still conceded three times.

For all his qualities, the Sweden international does not possess anywhere close to the presence of Martinez and it was impossible not to wonder whether it contributed some way to a defensive performance which contained a few too many last-ditch tackles.

While Liverpool’s opener was mostly down to their own quality, the same could hardly be said of the second as Villa failed to deal with Alexander-Arnold’s delivery and stood too passively as Salah teed-up Van Dijk to send a drive off Konsa and inside the far post.

The visitors’ third goal was not much prettier from the perspective of the home team. Darwin Nunez showed great desire to keep the ball in play and all Olsen could do was deflect the ball into the path of Bajcetic, who showed composure beyond his years to round the keeper.

Even then Mings, covering on the line, will feel he should have done better with a shot hit along the ground straight at him.

When Emery later expressed frustration at the result but pride in the performance, it felt a fair assessment.

The expectation is Villa will continue to improve under his guidance but the Spaniard is under no illusions there remains plenty of work to do.