Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes took a hit as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Aston Villa at Villa Park, with Darwin Nunez missing a golden opportunity to secure all three points for the Reds.
Mohamed Salah was instrumental once again, scoring the opening goal and providing an assist, taking his tally to 24 goals and 15 assists in the league this season.
The Egyptian capitalized on a defensive blunder by Villa’s Andrés Garcia, who gifted possession to Diogo Jota, allowing Salah to tap in from close range in the 29th minute.
Villa responded strongly, finding an equalizer in the 38th minute after Liverpool failed to clear a Marcus Rashford free-kick. Dominik Szoboszlai’s miscued clearance fell perfectly for Youri Tielemans, who made no mistake from close range. The home side then took the lead in first-half stoppage time, as Ollie Watkins met a pinpoint cross from Lucas Digne, glancing his header into the bottom corner beyond Alisson Becker.
Liverpool pushed for a response in the second half and got their reward in the 61st minute. Salah dribbled past Digne before squaring the ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose shot took a deflection off Tyrone Mings to wrongfoot Emiliano Martínez and bring the Reds level.
However, Liverpool had the perfect chance to win it when Szoboszlai raced through on goal in the 69th minute and unselfishly squared to Nunez at the far post, only for the Uruguayan to somehow blaze his shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Villa looked the more dangerous side in the closing stages, with Jacob Ramsey having a goal ruled out for offside and Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen both going close. Despite Liverpool’s late pressure, the hosts held on to claim a point, denting the Reds’ hopes of closing the gap in the title race.
The result leaves Liverpool with a tougher task in their quest for the Premier League crown, while Villa continue to show their ability to compete with the top sides, despite their inconsistent form.
