Liverpool finally ended their dreadful losing streak with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Saturday to move provisionally into third place in the table as Mohamed Salah became the third player in Reds history to score 250 goals.
Under increasing pressure after four successive defeats in the league – and six in their last seven games in all competitions – Arne Slot’s men moved to within seven points of leaders Arsenal on 18 points.
«I think everyone who was here today felt the importance of the match, both the players and the fans,» Slot told TNT Sports. “We showed character and won the match.”
Salah, who has been criticized for his slow start to the season, struck in first-half stoppage time, taking advantage of a huge blunder from Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who played the ball straight into the path of Liverpool’s talisman.
Salah finished for the first time to the relief of the concerned Anfield crowd, joining Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players to score 250 goals for the Merseyside club.
Ryan Gravenberch, in his first match after missing three with an ankle injury, doubled the home side’s lead in the 58th minute when he fired a shot from the top of the penalty area that deflected off Pau Torres and past Martinez.
Slot punched the air in delight as the home fans serenaded the manager.
The crowd chanted «Champions! Champions!» as the final whistle blew to end what had been the longest current losing run in the competition.
“It’s very important,” Salah told TNT about the victory. «We’ve had a few defeats in the Premier League and the Champions League. I’m glad we’re back on track now, and it’s a big step ahead of some important games.»
The victory precedes a challenging period, with Liverpool hosting La Liga giants Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before facing Manchester City in a league match at the Etihad Stadium on November 9.
Villa started brightly on Saturday when Morgan Rogers fired a shot off the post five minutes into the match, before Matty Cash forced a stunning save from Giorgi Mamardashvili, who tipped the ball over the crossbar early on.
But Liverpool grew into the match and summer signing Hugo Ekitike, already a firm fan favorite at Anfield, celebrated what he claimed was Liverpool’s first goal of the evening late in the first half when he headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross. The goal was disallowed for offside.
Liverpool finished with sixteen shots to Villa’s nine.
Final captain Virgil van Dijk admitted it had not been easy to quell the negative noise during the side’s string of poor performances.
«We don’t go on the field to lose games, we don’t go on the field to be disappointed or leave the fans disappointed,» he said. “We want to do our best and win games.
«There’s no guarantee, you’re playing in the Premier League, the top level, in the biggest league in the world, and it’s hard to keep calm, but you have to.»
Villa’s loss ended a four-match winning streak and saw them drop to 11th.
“We can feel a little disappointed but we played the match as we planned,” said Villa boss Unai Emery. “(Liverpool) were playing at home and they had to respond (after a string of losses), and they responded.”
Published on November 2, 2025
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