Aston Villa were unable to build on their positive recent form as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Villa Park on Tuesday evening.
Douglas Luiz put Villa in front after just three minutes but goals from Joel Matip and Sadio Mane turned the game on its head and sent the visitors back to Merseyside with the three points.
It was yet another classic case of Villa playing just 45 minutes of football this season.
In the first half they looked like a team shot out of a cannon - at everything from minute one and were unfortunate not to be leading at the break.
But the second-half saw the Jekyll to the Hyde reappear and despite a couple of good chances presenting themselves for the claret and blue, they struggled to reignite that same intensity.
Here’s our player ratings from defeat at Villa Park.
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Mings, Konsa, Digne; Nakamba (62’ Chukwuemeka), McGinn, Luiz; Coutinho (70’ Buendia), Ings, Watkins (82’ Traore)
Subs not used: Olsen, Chambers, Young, Chrisene, Iroegbunam, Sanson
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Jones (62’ Thiago), Fabinho (30’ Henderson), Keita; Diaz (72’ Salah), Jota, Mane
Subs not used: Kelleher, Gomez, Konate, Milner, Firmino, Origi
1. Emiliano Martinez - 6
Can’t be faulted for either goal - had a steady night away from those.
2. Matty Cash - 6
Both full-backs were extremely effective in the first 45 but less so in the second period.
3. Tyrone Mings - 4
Not a performance that the captain will want to remember. A shocker for Liverpool’s equaliser and the press from Jurgen’s Klopp men got him in a tangle on more than one occasion.
4. Ezri Konsa - 5
Best of the two centre-backs but still not great. Struggled against Sadio Mane.