{"id":157806,"date":"2025-11-01T22:44:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T22:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/157806\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T22:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T22:44:10","slug":"liverpool-2-0-aston-villa-player-ratings-liverpool-fc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/157806\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa: Player Ratings &#8211; Liverpool FC"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/dominik-szoboszlai\/\" title=\"Dominik Szoboszlai\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Dominik Szoboszlai<\/a> stood out for Liverpool yet again in their 2-0 win against <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/aston-villa\/\" title=\"Aston Villa\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aston Villa<\/a>, with <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/arne-slot\/\" title=\"Arne Slot\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Arne Slot<\/a>\u2018s back-to-basics approach paying off.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/premier-league\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Premier League<\/a> (10) | Anfield<br \/>November 1, 2025<\/p>\n<p><strong>Goals:<\/strong> Salah 45+1\u2032, Gravenberch 58\u2032<\/p>\n<p><strong>Giorgi Marmardashvili \u2013 7 (out of 10)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Marmardashvili\u2019s first clean sheet as a Liverpool player and the Reds\u2019 first since their trip to <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/burnley\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Burnley<\/a> in mid-September \u2013 a morale boosting one all around.<\/p>\n<p>The Georgian had an accomplished performance, making a brilliant save to keep out Matty Cash\u2019s cross\/shot and then Morgan Rogers\u2019 strike.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conor Bradley \u2013 8<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bradley hasn\u2019t got going yet this season but he did excellently here, providing attacking thrust and defensive solidity.<\/p>\n<p>The Northern Irishman earned a huge cheer from the Anfield crowd with one perfectly-timed slide tackle, and ought to take that confidence into the <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/champions-league\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Champions League<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Much more like the player we expect to see.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/P2025-11-01-Liverpool_Aston_Villa-46-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 1, 2025: Liverpool's goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe\/Propaganda)\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"lazy lazy-hidden alignnone size-medium wp-image-329660\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ibrahima Konate \u2013 7<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Konate\u2019s form has been part of Liverpool\u2019s struggles this season but the positives easily outweighed the negatives against Villa.<\/p>\n<p>He was carelessly robbed of possession in a dangerous area before the break, but he put his physical prowess to good use and dominated Ollie Watkins, making an unrivalled 11 defensive contributions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Virgil van Dijk \u2013 7<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Van Dijk has dipped below his elite standards of late but this was much more like it from him.<\/p>\n<p>The Dutchman went under the radar in a good way, going about his duties with ease and leading by example as Villa instead opted to play out from the back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Andy Robertson \u2013 8<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Robertson was finally given the nod at left-back over <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/milos-kerkez\/\" title=\"Milos Kerkez\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Milos Kerkez<\/a>, in what was his first <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/premier-league\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Premier League<\/a> start of the season.<\/p>\n<p>He justified his place in the team, offering an assuredness on the left flank that has been missing this season.<\/p>\n<p>The Scot provided plenty of attacking runs, almost ending up as a centre-forward at times and his overlapping sprints helped create space for <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/cody-gakpo\/\" title=\"Cody Gakpo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cody Gakpo<\/a>. Dependable at the back too.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/P2025-11-01-Liverpool_Aston_Villa-67-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 1, 2025: Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch scores the second goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe\/Propaganda)\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"lazy lazy-hidden alignnone size-medium wp-image-329666\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ryan Gravenberch \u2013 7<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gravenberch\u2019s return was huge boost and, while not at his absolute best, which understandable after three games out, he enjoyed a strong display.<\/p>\n<p>On the ball, the 23-year-old was typically tidy, completing 90 percent of his passes, and his deflected strike put the Reds 2-0 up and offered breathing room that has been absent for over a month.<\/p>\n<p>A lovely footballer to watch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alexis Mac Allister \u2013 7<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like Konate, Mac Allister has been a shadow of last season\u2019s self, but despite being only one of two players retained from midweek, he played his first 90 minutes of the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>There were times early on when he was bypassed too easily in midfield, with his pace sorely lacking, but he grew into the game and saw one shot blocked by Ezri Konsa in a much-improved display.<\/p>\n<p>He fed a brilliant pass to assist Gravenberch for his goal and showed lots of passion, just ask Onana!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/P2025-11-01-Liverpool_Aston_Villa-49-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 1, 2025: Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai has his shirt pulled by Aston Villa's goalkeeper Emiliano Mart\u00ednez during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe\/Propaganda)\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"lazy lazy-hidden alignnone size-medium wp-image-329659\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dominik Szoboszlai \u2013 8 (Man of the Match)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Szoboszlai was deployed in the No. 10 role at Anfield as he continues to showcase his versatility and relentlessness; he was superb yet again.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool\u2019s best player, firing wide from distance and hitting the target with another effort, and never stopped running \u2013 and he\u2019ll be cursing <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/hugo-ekitike\/\" title=\"Hugo Ekitike\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hugo Ekitike<\/a> for venturing offside.<\/p>\n<p>Where would the Reds be without him this season?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mohamed Salah \u2013 7<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Liverpool were desperate for an improved Salah performance and they got it!<\/p>\n<p>He looked far more threatening than he has in recent weeks, producing some lovely first-time touches, before opening the scoring and reaching an astonishing 250 goals for the club.<\/p>\n<p>A gift that he and all of us needed.<\/p>\n<p>Some much-needed confidence returned to his game thereafter. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/P2025-11-01-Liverpool_Aston_Villa-56.jpg\" alt=\"LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 1, 2025: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe\/Propaganda)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" class=\"lazy lazy-hidden alignnone size-full wp-image-329662\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Cody Gakpo \u2013 6<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gakpo has frustrated some this season, with the Dutchman accused of being too predictable, and that applied again here.<\/p>\n<p>Too often, he cut inside and nothing came of it, and he needs to mix up his game to make it harder for defenders to read him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hugo Ekitike \u2013 6<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/alexander-isak\/\" title=\"Alexander Isak\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Alexander Isak<\/a> again out injured, Ekitike was given another chance to shine leading the line.<\/p>\n<p>The Frenchman buried a clinical header but saw the goal ruled out, and he produced a couple of delightful flicks that caught the eye.<\/p>\n<p>Did not look too pleased to be substituted, but got a great reception as he left the field.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Substitutes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/P2025-11-01-Liverpool_Aston_Villa-79-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 1, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot speaks to Hugo Ekitike as he is substituted off during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe\/Propaganda)\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"lazy lazy-hidden alignnone size-medium wp-image-329674\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/florian-wirtz\/\" title=\"Florian Wirtz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Florian Wirtz<\/a> (on for Ekitike, 77\u2032) \u2013 6<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hit a pass out of play \u2013 that was about it! Surely a more involved role awaits against <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/real-madrid\/\" title=\"Real Madrid\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Real Madrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Subs not used: Woodman, Pecsi, Gomez, Kerkez, Endo, Nyoni, Ngumoha, Chiesa<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Arne Slot \u2013 8<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-lazy-type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/P2025-11-01-Liverpool_Aston_Villa-31.jpg\" alt=\"LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 1, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe\/Propaganda)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" class=\"lazy lazy-hidden alignnone size-full wp-image-329653\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>Only one outfield player, Ekitike, wasn\u2019t at the club last season, as Slot went more back to basics in his approach.<\/p>\n<p>Finally playing Robertson, and going with last season\u2019s midfield, is something most have called for for a while now.<\/p>\n<p>The boss will have been pleased to hear the Anfield crowd sing his name regularly as they showed their backing for the Dutchman.<\/p>\n<p>A step in the right direction \u2013 next up, <a data-ail=\"329423\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisisanfield.com\/liverpool-fc\/real-madrid\/\" title=\"Real Madrid\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Real Madrid<\/a> on Tuesday!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dominik Szoboszlai stood out for Liverpool yet again in their 2-0 win against Aston Villa, with Arne Slot\u2018s&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4699,9,10,18,13,14,6,19,17,11,12,91807,15,16,5,7,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-157806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-aston-villa","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-breakingnews","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-featured-news","13":"tag-featurednews","14":"tag-headlines","15":"tag-ie","16":"tag-ireland","17":"tag-latest-news","18":"tag-latestnews","19":"tag-liverpool-vs-aston-villa","20":"tag-main-news","21":"tag-mainnews","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-top-stories","24":"tag-topstories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115476867789971191","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}