Villa add to woes at Anfield

AFTER a fortnight where off-field worries about finances have once again been put back on the agenda at Anfield, along came a night that summed up all the other frustrations of the Rafael Benitez era as Liverpool lost at home in the Premier League for the first time in 20 months.

After the age-old problems in breaking down stubborn visitors, the much-maligned Lucas got Villa on their way by heading Ashley Young’s free-kick past his own goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Then along came the zonal marking question once again as Curtis Davies, who had earlier been left on his own in the Liverpool area only to waste a header, to guide into the net in first-half added time.

Even the regulation inspired come-back was here, with Fernando Torres giving a desperate home crowd some hope with 18 minutes left only for Steven Gerrard to trip Nigel Reo-Coker in the area two minutes later to earn a penalty that Young thumped past Reina to consign Liverpool to a first home defeat in the Premier League since the 1-0 loss against Manchester United in December 2007.