Match reportNunez and Salah score as Liverpool beat Villa to move five points clear at top

Goals in either half from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah settled Saturday night’s contest – which was played immediately after second-placed Manchester City had lost to Brighton & Hove Albion – in the Reds’ favour.

Both strikes came at the end of lightning-quick counter-attacks following Villa corners, with Nunez putting Arne Slot’s side ahead after 20 minutes and Salah sealing victory in the final match before the November international break late on.

Team news

Nunez and Andy Robertson returned to Liverpool’s starting XI in place of Cody Gakpo and Kostas Tsimikas as Slot made two changes from Tuesday’s victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Kelleher, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Nunez (Gakpo, 65), Mac Allister (Endo, 85), Salah, Jones (Szoboszlai, 65), Robertson, Gravenberch, Alexander-Arnold (Bradley, 25).

Unused subs: Jaros, Gomez, Tsimikas, Quansah, Morton.

First half

With the home crowd again in good voice, the Reds began the game well and Salah saw an early attempt to beat Emiliano Martinez at his near post blocked.

After emerging from the first 10 minutes unscathed, Villa came into the game and a diligent sliding challenge from the retreating Ryan Gravenberch was required to avert the danger of a Jacob Ramsey strike towards goal.

But then came the first example of Liverpool profiting from a corner for the visitors.

Once the hosts had quelled the immediate threat, Virgil van Dijk sought out Salah with a down-the-line pass that sprung the No.11 into a potential one-on-one with Martinez, though that did not come to pass as a desperate Leon Bailey hauled Salah down.

The referee did not whistle and Nunez collected the loose ball, rounded the Villa goalkeeper and buried his finish.

Soon after – and following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s enforced substitution due to an apparent muscle injury – Liverpool nearly repeated the trick of scoring from a Villa corner, but this time Nunez cleared the crossbar having been put in on goal by Salah.

Unai Emery’s team eventually almost capitalised from their own set-piece close to half-time, but Caoimhin Kelleher acrobatically tipped Amadou Onana’s header over the bar.

Second half

The first meaningful action of the second period could have resulted in a Villa equaliser as, with time and space aplenty, Morgan Rogers failed to beat Kelleher from inside the penalty area.

At the other end, Nunez headed Robertson’s cross wide and, just after the hour, Slot turned to his bench and introduced Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai for the Uruguayan and Curtis Jones.

The substitutes nearly combined for a goal soon after, but Ezri Konsa just did enough to prevent Gakpo from meeting Szoboszlai’s inviting low cross.

But, after Konsa had produced a last-ditch tackle on Luis Diaz, Liverpool would soon make sure of another three points to release the mounting sense of pressure.

Diego Carlos was flummoxed by Salah on halfway and the Egyptian charged towards goal before calmly scooping the ball over Martinez.

Attendance: 60,292