Aston Villa's Premier League form hit a snag after Liverpool ended their winning streak with a 2-0 victory. Despite the loss, manager Unai Emery remains optimistic about his team's attacking prowess, stating confidently, "The goals will come."
Liverpool Halt Villa's Momentum
The match saw goals from Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch securing the win for Liverpool, who themselves were looking to bounce back from a series of defeats. Villa, however, contributed to their own misfortune, with a costly error leading to Salah's goal and a deflection off Pau Torres compounding their woes.
Villa's Missed Opportunities
Despite the scoreline, Villa had their opportunities at Anfield. Morgan Rogers struck the post early on, and a deflected cross from Matty Cash nearly found the back of the net. However, a lack of clinical finishing proved to be their undoing.
Villa have only managed nine goals in their ten Premier League games this season. This is the lowest goal tally for an Emery-managed side at this stage of a season across Europe's top five leagues. They only created 0.3 expected goals (xG) from their 10 shots, with only three hitting the target.
Emery's Positive Outlook
Despite the struggles in front of goal, Emery remains upbeat. "We competed, and we dominated sometimes," he said. "We were feeling good, and we created some chances, hit the post, and we were more or less getting confident." He acknowledged the difficulty of dominating at Anfield but stressed the need for his team to learn from their mistakes and improve.
Emery concluded by highlighting the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and focusing on the upcoming match against Bournemouth. He emphasised the need to refine their structure and continue working hard to achieve their goals.