Aston Villa roared back from 3-1 down to snatch a thrilling draw and edge towards Champions League qualification That’s it from me tonight. That was proper Barclays, relentless entertainment. I’m off to lie down in a dark room. Thanks for reading and for your emails and tweets. Until next time! Jürgen Klopp speaks!Best porn XXX. It got away from us tonight. Everything could have happened tonight. We played a lot of good stuff. Before we changed [four subs], we gave them too many chances. We couldn’t defend. Then we made a mistake [Mac Allister]. Then they scored an equaliser, don’t even know how. We had good moments but it was tricky. John McGinn talks to the cameras. Interesting comments on Durán! The boys are out on their feet. Youri [Tielemans] is playing through the pain barrier. Durán is a bit nuts. He’s a nightmare to have in your team sometimes. But he has moments of quality. We’ll try to keep his feet on the ground in the next couple of days. There are some of us that have never been close to Champions League football. We’ve had injuries but the manager has a ‘no excuse’ mentality. We’ve flown nicely under the radar. We’ll have our Man City tops on tomorrow.” Youri Tielemans also speaks: We felt we deserved a couple more goals. We’ll take the draw. We just want to thank the fans, the buzz around the players. They’ve been amazing all season. It’s not by chance we’ve had an amazing record at home. Here’s what that result does to the Premier League table. If Tottenham fail to beat Manchester City tomorrow, Aston Villa will play in the Champions League next season. Interesting that Sky awarded Jhon Durán with player of the match after his two late goals for Villa. Not sure about that. Oh, and I’m getting quite a few Duran Duran emails and tweets, which I will not dignify in this MBM. What a mesmerising game. It’s not the result that Villa wanted but it’s certainly a point gained, not two lost. 90+8 min: Diaby is limping with cramp. The energy has slightly gone out of the game, just when you thought it might build to a climax. 90+7 min: Liverpool have settled slightly. Finally the away side have got their foot on the ball. Wonder what Klopp makes of all this. Surely he will miss this? Perhaps he longs for his armchair and nice glass of witbier. 90+5 min: “I just got in and have been scrolling back through the MBM to read the match from the start,” emails Rick Harris. “Nearly fell off my stool laughing when you suggested Martinez has a claim to be the best keeper in the world. He’s not even in the top 10.” Fair enough, Rick. I mean, Martínez was voted the best goalkeeper in the world at the Fifa awards last year. But sure. 90+3 min: World class save from Alisson to keep Liverpool in the game! Wooooooow. Diaby races clean through, just as he did in the first half. This time he steadies himself, laces a ripsnorter at goal and Alisson makes an absurd save with his right hand to palm the ball behind. 90+2 min: An email from Rick Harris … “If Villa lose this then Spurs might just have the motivation to beat City tomorrow because the last game of the season for them is relegated Sheffield United whereas Villa would have to beat a rampant Palace at Selhurst Park”. 90 min: Nine minutes added on here. Time for a winner! What a game. Villa have done it! Seconds after Liverpool have another goal chalked off for offside (Nunez, obviously), Villa draw level! Diaby beats Mac Allister in midfield, drives at the defence. The Frenchman tries to find Durán with a pass, but it’s a bit of a hospital pass, high and fizzed towards the striker’s hips. Durán sticks out a knee, the ball ricochets off his thigh and loops over Alisson into Liverpool’s net! A hugely fortunate goal, but (most of) Villa Park doesn’t care one bit. In the stands, Tom Hanks roars in delight. Second MBMers curse from me, Villa are back, baby! I’ll shut up shortly. Some absolutely dreadful midfield play from Mac Allister gifts possession to Villa, and Durán cuts inside, arrowing a fine shot low into the near post! Game on? Game on! 82 min: Villa look spent. It’s been a long old season, and last week’s European exit will have taken a mental and physical toll. Liverpool are on the front foot again and Alexander-Arnold strikes fiercely at goal from the edge of the area, tipped over by Martínez. 79 min: Zaniolo is down and will have to go back off. That’s unfortunate for the Italian and possibly the last time we will see him in a Villa shirt. Calum Chambers and Jhon Duran for Zaniolo and Douglas Luiz. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s subs are already making a difference. Szoboszlai exchanges passes with Salah, and the Hungarian finds a pocket of space in the Villa box but Martínez closes the angle expertly, Schmeichel-style. 78 min: Compare Liverpool’s bench with Villa’s tonight. One gets the feeling that Liverpool will now see this out. Villa were rampant 15 minutes ago but failed to take advantage of a few excellent openings. Liverpool: Konate, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Jones, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Bajcetic, Kelleher, Bradley. Villa: Chambers, Lenglet, Zaniolo, Duran, Olsen, Kesler-Hayden, Iroegbunam, Munroe, Kellyman. 76 min: Liverpool make a quadruple (!) change. Klopp really should have made these subs 10 minutes ago. Gakpo, Elliott, Diaz and Endo are all withdrawn. Szoboszlai, Nunez, Jones and Gravenberch enter the fray. 74 min: A word on Liverpool’s attackers. Salah has barely kicked a ball this second half. I would suggest that while Gakpo is a neat enough footballer, he isn’t elite and won’t win you a Premier League title or the Champions League if he is the main man. A good first reserve, perhaps. Perhaps Gakpo will be transformed next season under a new Dutch manager and I will eat my words. Perhaps not. 72 min: This game could easily be 5-3 to Villa. 70 min: Villa are having all sorts of joy down that right flank. The ball is cut back to Zaniolo on the penalty spot, and Italian fires his shot on target, but Alisson gets down well to his left. Liverpool break, and McGinn trips Diaz. The Scot is the first player this evening to be booked, a caution he accepts with no complaints. 69 min: Bailey is the latest to break free of Liverpool’s defenders but Gomez makes a cracking covering tackle to keep the Jamaican at bay. 68 min: Liverpool look awfully shaky at the back and Diaby again gets in behind the Reds’ defence. It’s a tight angle and the Frenchman fires into the side netting with his right foot. A poor effort. 67 min: Villa Park is a special place. The noise is absolutely deafening as the home fans roar their team forward with their own rendition of ‘Allez, Allez, Allez’. 65 min: Villa make a change: Zaniolo comes on for Tielemans, which means McGinn will move into the middle from the left of midfield. “Re: Zaniolo – I think he’s done okay, and I’d be keeping him around if it was me; he’s produced more than Diaby, who has really not lived up to his promise and has been quite a frustrating watch this season,” emails Benjamin Gravestock. “Re: Mings, I’d suggest that Carlos, Konsa and Torres are all ahead of him in the pecking order. Clemens Lenglet has been little short of a liability, which is a shame; I don’t see Mings walking back into the side, though”. 63 min: “I hope Southgate is paying due attention to Harvey Elliot whose touches are simply sublime,” emails Colum Fordham. “The match sums up Liverpool’s season. Flashes of brilliance followed by defensive errors.” Elliott is certainly playing his way into the conversation. With Henderson injured and out of form for Ajax, there’s definitely a midfield spot to be had. Maybe James Maddison could lose his spot as well? Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo are also surely contenders to be called up. 61 min: What a game this is, by the way. 59 min: Liverpool are next to have a goal chalked off for offside, and it’s another close one. Diaz races clean through on goal, squares it to Elliott, who taps the ball into the empty net. But VAR have a look, and it’s ruled out. 56 min: The second half is eerily similar to the first. Early Liverpool goal, Villa roaring back into it. The home side have yet to find a goal though. 54 min: Alisson so nearly punished for some sloppy play at the back! Watkins gets a toe on the goalkeeper’s clearance, Diaby picks up the loose ball in Liverpool’s area, squares back to Watkins. The striker is facing away from goal and tries a backheel finish, but completely mishits it! Villa fans are bereft. 53 min: Some real tension between Villa teammates Bailey and Watkins, with the latter arguing that Bailey should have held his run, or left it to Diaby (who was just behind). Ridiculous defending from Liverpool, who got away with it there. Villa have one of the quickest attacks in world football with Diaby-Watkins-Bailey. What on earth are they doing playing a defensive line up near the half-way line?! 52 min: Villa have the ball in the net after a suicidal defensive line from Liverpool … Bailey races through on the right, checked back, passed square to Watkins who sidefooted the ball past Alisson! That’s 20 league goals for the season for the striker is it? No! VAR rules the goal out for offside. Bailey was just off. 50 min: Emery will be fuming. The cross from Elliott and header from Quansah was delightful but that goal was as much to do with a lack of concentration from Villa. Liverpool start the second half like a train, just as they did the first! Elliott whips a brilliant free-kick to the back post and Quansah rises impossibly high and plants a pinpoint header in off the far post! Martínez didn’t move! Peeeeeep! We’re off again at Villa Park. Half-time reading: If xG is your thing, go outside a bit more. That said, Diego Carlos really should have equalised for Aston Villa. 0.99! 0.99 xG 🤯 pic.twitter.com/dqDdnJS81n That’s a great half of football. And a nice scoreline if you are a Tottenham fan. 45+4 min: Scrappy end to the half. Gakpo, Elliott and McGinn all lose possesion unnecessarily. 45+2 min: McGinn is down, he’s clutching his ribs. Looks like it was that coming-together with Mac Allister. Looks like he’s going to be OK to continue, but the Scot is not particularly happy. 45 min: Liverpool break at pace and suddenly it’s two on two at the back! Diaz breaks the offside trap but his pass to Salah is poor and mis-timed, and the Egyptian is forced wide. Aston Villa recover. Five minutes added on here.
