Liverpool boss Arne Slot says Aston Villa did one thing that surprised him at Anfield as Reds win 2-0

Liverpool manager Arne Slot was surprised by Aston Villa’s apparent lack of aggression in Saturday night’s Premier League clash at Anfield. The Reds emerged as 2-0 winners after Darwin Nunez opened the scoring in the first half while Mohammed Salah scored late in the game to wrap up the three points for the home side.

Both of Liverpool’s goals came on the counter attack and Slot admitted afterwards that the game played out in a way he did not expect.

He said: "It wasn't easy like most of our games have been now. Aston Villa were maybe not as aggressive as we thought they would be. We were patient. One thing they are very good at is set-pieces. In general we had control over the game and scored from two counter-attacks which is maybe not what we would expect. The set-pieces are for someone else. It is not the first time Liverpool score from breaks like that because we have players who are so fast.

“We are really happy that most of our players have stayed fit through this tough run. If I look at the games that are ahead they are tough. It will be a tough season in general. Margins are small, we have a margin but it is small. Many challenges to come for us."

The result means Villa are without a win in their last five games in all competitions. They drew with Bournemouth at the end of October before losing to Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Club Brugge. Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister hailed the result as a big win for his side as he credited Villa as a “very good team”.

He said: "Very big win against a very good team. The goals came in counter-attacks but overall the team played a very good game. We are happy with it. We know we're top of the league but there are a lot of teams so we take it step by step."