The milestones polished another three precious points for Liverpool – a 21st goal of the season for Mohamed Salah, the team scoring for a club record equalling 31 games in succession and taking Jürgen Klopp beyond 500 points in the Premier League – but this was an arduous battle against Aston Villa. Steven Gerrard’s new team gave his old club no quarter, it was never going to be any other way, only to fall to the second defeat of his reign courtesy of Salah’s second half penalty.
Gerrard treated his first competitive appearance at Anfield in six years with a predictable minimum of fuss. There was prolonged applause to the Villa faithful after he emerged from the tunnel and a little wave of acknowledgement to the Kop before getting down to the business of frustrating his former club. Villa succeeded in that regard, absorbing pressure, working tirelessly and rarely being pulled out of shape. Klopp spent most of the first half haranguing the fourth official, Graham Scott, over what he perceived as referee Stuart Attwell’s leniency but the lack of cutting edge from his title chasers would also have been a cause of irritation.
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