After finding success with Luis Diaz up front against Leverkusen, Liverpool shifted Diaz back to the left wing, placing Darwin Nunez in the center-forward role.

In the opening 15 minutes, neither team created clear scoring chances, but in the 20th minute, the home side capitalized on a quick counter-attack, with Nunez speeding past goalkeeper Martinez to find the net.

Liverpool had the setback of losing Alexander-Arnold to injury but still controlled the match.

Nunez missed an opportunity to double his tally in the 32nd minute, sending the ball high over the bar after Salah set him up one-on-one with the keeper. Aston Villa had limited opportunities, but their back-to-back corners required two impressive saves from Kelleher to keep Liverpool ahead at halftime.

Early in the second half, the visitors nearly equalized, with Rogers narrowly missing the target from a promising position.

Liverpool adopted a more conservative approach to protect their lead, and although they didn’t create many chances, they also limited Villa’s opportunities.

When a chance presented itself late in the game, Salah capitalized on it. In the 84th minute, he intercepted a failed clearance from Diego Carlos, broke through to face Martinez, and slotted the ball into the net, securing Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa.