Mohamed Salah:
Where do you even begin with Liverpool's Egyptian King? For all the talk of slow starts and all the understandable fascination with Erling Haaland, it is overlooked just how relentlessly consistent Salah is, and continues to be. Here, he scored his 16th goal of the season, perfectly placed to finish off a fine, two-pass move from close-range, as he moved level with the great Sir Kenny Dalglish on 172 goals for the club. Later, he set up Van Dijk to make it 2-0, becoming only the second Liverpool player, after Steven Gerrard, to both score and assist 50 Premier League goals. He should have had more of both, too. His pace was frightening as he burnt away from Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings early in the second half, only for Robin Olsen to keep out his shot. Then he showed the other side of his game, producing a gorgeous through ball to send Darwin Nunez away for a chance the Uruguayan fired wide. That's Salah, always front and centre whenever his team are in action. One of the best in the world, for sure. One of the best Liverpool have ever had, for sure.
Liverpool's full-backs:
Pep Lijnders once said that his dream goal would be one full-back crossing for another to score. Well, he didn't quite get that here, but he got the next best thing. The game was only five minutes old when Villa spooned away a Liverpool corner from the right, the ball dropping to the feet of Trent Alexander-Arnold. With time and space, the England international was able to wreak havoc, picking out Andy Robertson's run with a sumptuous outside-of-the-foot pass. Robertson, having timed his movement to perfection, kept his head superbly to control a first-time cross for Salah, who applied the finish it deserved. It moved Robertson to 54 Premier League assists, one clear of Leighton Baines in terms of defenders. Next on the list comes Alexander-Arnold on 45. The standards being set by Liverpool's full-backs, creatively, continues to astound.
Stefan Bajcetic:
It was, at first glance, a rather strange substitution. Liverpool were under a bit of pressure at 2-1, and Jordan Henderson had been one of their better performers in a dodgy second half. Klopp, though, thinks the world of Stefan Bajcetic, and what reward he got for his gamble here. Bajcetic had struggled at Manchester City when handed a start in the Carabao Cup last week, but if you wondered if that might affect his confidence, then what a resounding riposte he provided. He had been on the field less than three minutes by the time Olsen pushed Darwin Nunez's cross into his path. Some would have shot first time, others would not even have been bold enough to venture that far forwards given the circumstances, but Bajcetic is a bit special, and his composure was off the scale as he chopped the ball away from the sprawling Olsen and, on his weaker foot, slipped the ball past Tyrone Mings and into the unguarded net. A first professional goal for the 18-year-old, who has made huge strides forward this season. We'll be hearing an awful lot more about him in the coming months and years.
Darwin Nunez:
He may not have scored or registered an assist, but ask the away end here about Darwin Nunez and they'll only have good things to say. They chanted the Uruguayan's name as he left the field, two minutes from time, and well they might. In a pulsating, end-to-end game, Nunez offered yet another window into why Liverpool signed him, and why there's still so, so much to come from him. Sure, it was wild at times. He dummied a cross he should have buried, missed a couple of chances you'd have liked him to score from, and opted to cross when the smart money was on the finish. But ask Villa's defenders if they enjoyed their night. They didn't. Nunez had them up the wall with his runs in behind, and his remarkable ability to constantly be on the end of chances. He finished having taken six shots, four of them on target, and having provided Liverpool with a constant outlet whenever they were under pressure. His contribution for the third goal was huge, expertly bringing down Joe Gomez's astute pass, racing to the byline and firing in a cross that Olsen could only push out to Bajcetic. Not an assist, but as good as. Rival fans don't seem to like him much - 'you're just a sh*t Andy Carroll' sang Villa's here - but he won't mind that one bit. Liverpool supporters love him, and they made their feelings perfectly clear here.
