Liverpool back to winning ways as Salah marks occassion with landmark goal

Ryan Gravenberch (right) celebrates with team-mates after scoring the second. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA

Premier League: Liverpool 2 Aston Villa 0 

MO Salah was gifted a landmark 250th Liverpool goal as the Premier League Champions snapped a four-game losing streak to ease the pressure on Arne Slot.

Salah joined Ian Rush and Roger Hunt on Anfield's goal-scoring Mount Rushmore as the Egyptian became only the third Reds player to reach the special landmark, on his 415th appearance. After struggling to find the net in October, it was an impressive start to Movember for Liverpool's talisman.

The 33-year-old scored a seventh career goal past Emi Martinez, but this must have been the first for which the hapless Aston Villa keeper could be credited with an unwanted assist.

Villa had looked good value for a fifth consecutive win early on, and struck the frame of the goal twice before Salah made the most of his gift to push his side up to third, cutting the deficit to leaders Arsenal to seven points.

Ryan Gravenberch doubled the advantage 13 minutes into the second half, beating Martinez with a deflected 20-yard effort after taking an Alexis MacAllister pass in his stride.

After losing five of their previous six games, it was all about taking small strides for Slot's side, who managed not to concede inside the first 15 minutes for the first time in five Premier League games.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (right) and Aston Villa's Lucas Digne battle for the ball. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA

That was by no means a foregone conclusion as Morgan Rogers swapped passes with Ollie Watkins to cut inside and unleash a shot from the edge of the area that came back off the inside of the post with Giorgi Mamardashvili beaten.

The Liverpool keeper had rather more of a say shortly afterwards when he did exceptionally well to tip a deflected Matty Cash drive onto the post and out for a corner.

The hosts slowly wrestled the advantage back to end the first-half in the ascendency. Dominik Szoboszlai had two good openings to give his side the lead, but shot weakly at Martinez after Boubacar Kamara surrendered possession on the edge of his own area before the Hungarian midfielder had a threatening 25 yard free-kick beaten out by Aston Villa's World Cup-winning keeper.

It finally looked like the pressure had told as Hugo Ekitike found the net, but the French forward's unmarked header from a Szoboszlai cross was ruled out for offside after VAR review.

It was only a temporary reprieve for Villa, who shot themselves in the foot to go behind in first-half stoppage-time as the hosts scored for a 44th consecutive league game.

Martinez has to shoulder the blame, as his weak attempted pass out of his six-yard box went straight to Salah, who gratefully returned it into an empty net from 15 yards to snap Liverpool's unwanted run of conceding first in the previous seven games.

Gravenberch's third goal of the season afforded the hosts valuable breathing space as the hour mark approached.

Substitute Donyell Malen went close to pulling one back from long-range, but it was a largely disjointed display from Villa, who missed a chance to climb into the top three as Unai Emery's third anniversary in charge fell rather flat

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili 7; Bradley 7, Konate 6, van Dijk 6, Robertson 6; Gravenberch 6, MacAllister 6; Salah 7, Szoboszlai 7, Gakpo 6; Ekitike 7 (Wirtz 77, 6). 

Booked: van Dijk, Szoboszlai.

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez 4; Cash 6, Konsa 6, Torres 6 (Mings 76, 5), Digne 4 (Maatsen 75,5); Kamara 5, Onana 5; Guessand 5 (Malen 59, 6), Rogers 6, McGinn 6 (Barkley 59, 6); Watkins 3 (Sancho 74, 5). 

Booked: Cash, Onana, Rogers.

Referee: Stuart Attwell.