Liverpool carved out a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League table after beating Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield.
The Reds were good value for their win, often hitting the Villans on the counter-attack.
And Darwin Nunez was the man to score the first goal, with Mohamed Salah adding a second.
After Virgil van Dijk released Salah down the right-hand side, the Egyptian was pulled down by Leon Bailey.
But the referee played advantage and the ball fell to Nunez.
The Uruguay forward took it around South American rival Emiliano Martinez and fired home, wheeling off to celebrate.
Much of the game was scrappy, with neither side carving out any real chances.
But in the end, the hosts got the win they were looking for after Salah bore down and goal and slotted past Martinez for a second.
GET IN THERE!!! ✊🔴 #LIVAVL pic.twitter.com/H0v0CbwRRG
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 9, 2024
How it happened
From the outset, Liverpool seemed eager to impose themselves on the game, pressing high and controlling the tempo.
After a quiet opening period, it was a rapid counter-attack that put the hosts ahead in the 20th minute.
Aston Villa, pressing for an opening of their own, committed numbers forward for a corner, only for Liverpool to punish them in a flash.
Salah, pivotal throughout the match, took charge on the break, speeding down the right flank before getting bundled over by Villa’s Bailey.
However, the ball rolled kindly to Nunez, who coolly converted from a tight angle, sending Anfield into raptures.
Villa managed to carve out a few half-chances, but Liverpool’s defence stood firm, and when Villa’s attackers found openings, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was more than equal to the task.
A standout moment came when Kelleher made a double save, first tipping Amadou Onana’s header over the bar and then denying Diego Carlos on the follow-up, preserving Liverpool’s lead before half-time.
Special. pic.twitter.com/xmkH5yGOow
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 9, 2024
Villa did have one moment of controversy just before the hour mark, as VAR reviewed a potential penalty after Villa’s Pau Torres appeared to be fouled by Liverpool’s Conor Bradley.
The review, however, ruled in Liverpool’s favour, and Villa’s chance to level from the spot was denied.
The Reds continued to dictate the second half, asserting their dominance with measured passing and patient build-up play.
Villa struggled to regain momentum, especially after Liverpool brought on substitutes to freshen up the midfield and backline, with Alexis Mac Allister making way for Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones replaced by Dominik Szoboszlai.
As Villa searched desperately for an equaliser, it was Liverpool who struck again, this time capitalizing on another error from the visitors.
In the 84th minute, Villa defender Diego Carlos’s misjudged header fell directly to Salah, who wasted no time racing into the box and firing past Emiliano Martinez with a confident finish.
It was Salah’s eighth league goal of the season, and it all but sealed the victory for the Reds.
