• Date: Mon 21 January 2008
  • Venue: Anfield
  • Ref: Clattenburg, M
  • Attendance: 42,590
Liverpool

Liverpool

Benayoun (19)

Crouch (88)

2 - 2
Aston Villa

Aston Villa

Harewood (69)

Liverpool vs Aston Villa

Team Lineups

Liverpool

Jose Manuel Reina
Alvaro Arbeloa (Martin Skrtel, 70)
Sami Hyypia
Fabio Aurelio
Jamie Carragher
Steven Gerrard
Javier Mascherano
Harry Kewell (Ryan Babel, 74)
Yossi Benayoun (Peter Crouch, 80)
Dirk Kuyt
Fernando Torres

Aston Villa

Stuart Taylor
Martin Laursen
Olof Mellberg
Wilfred Bouma
Curtis Davies
Craig Gardner (Marlon Harewood, 66)
Nigel Reo-Coker
Stiliyan Petrov
John Carew (Zat Knight, 90)
Ashley Young, A
Gabriel Agbonlahor


Live Text Commentary
Full time
 

It's finished 2-2, Crouch's equaliser earning Liverpool a draw after Harewood and Aurelio's own goal gave Villa an unlikely lead.

90

Mascherano is fouled - time almost up now

90
Substitution
 

Carew goes off for Villa in place of defender Zat Knight

90

Gerrard's shot is poor and is wide

90

Three minutes of injury time will be played - still time for a winner

89

Torres' shot appears to strike a hand in the area but that's not a penalty

88
Goal
 

Crouch pokes home the equaliser, pouncing on a loose ball with two minutes left

87
Yellow Card
 

Young is booked for handball

87

Petrov goes off but then comes back on and is fine

86

Gerrard's shot strikes Petrov in the head and he will need treatment

85

Just about five minutes left and Liverpool are looking increasingly desperate now

83

It looks like the second Villa goal will go down as an Aurelio own goal

82

Liverpool win two corners but nothing comes from them and Villa hold firm

80
Substitution
 

Peter Crouch comes on for the Liverpool scorer Benayoun

79

Torres' looping header is easily claimed by Taylor

78

Torres is fouled for a free-kick but Liverpool waste possession - Villa can't quite believe they are in front still

77

Villa deal with a Liverpool corner - time beginning to run out for Liverpool

75

Babel shoots wide after neat play on the edge of Villa's box

74
Yellow Card
 

Laursen is booked for a foul on Torres

74
Substitution
 

Ryan Babel comes on for Kewell for Liverpool

72
Goal
 

Mellberg's shot takes a wicked deflection off Aurelio and goes past Reina to put Villa in front

71
Yellow Card
 

Mascherano is booked for a late tackle now - game on with 20 left

71

Villa barely deserve that and Liverpool will rue missed chances

69
Goal
 

Harewood equalises with an acrobatic strike past Reina

69
Yellow Card
 

Arbeloa is the first man to be booked tonight for a foul

68
Substitution
 

Skrtel comes on for Arbeloa

67

Harewood does well with his first touch and pulls the ball back for Carew but Reina gathers it comfortably

66
Substitution
 

Villa make an attacking change - Gardner going off in place of Marlon Harewood

65

Rafa Benitez will be nervous and knows his side may need a second goal to secure the win with 25 minutes or so left

63

Young has picked up a knock now and hobbles off before coming back on

60

Liverpool deal with a Villa free-kick easily - Agbonlahor and Young have been very quiet for the visitors

58

Arbeloa curls a shot just wide this time - the second goal looks on the cards

57

Liverpool break again and Torres is denied by a good late tackle

55

Kewell's shot is well saved by Taylor before Torres fires just over - Liverpool completely on top

54

Torres gets past Laursen easily but can't get a shot in as Liverpool raise the tempo again

53

Hyypia's slide-tackle is superb and Young is denied a chance

52

A swift break from the Reds sees Gerrard play in Kuyt but the Dutch striker slices a poor shot wide

51

Still virtually nothing from Villa going forward - they surely must improve as the game goes on

49

Gerrard's corner is cleared by the visitors - a stop-start passage of play early in the second 45

48

No changes by either manager at half-time as Liverpool earn a corner from a Kewell cross

Second half
 

The second half gets underway with Liverpool kicking towards The Kop end now

Half time
 

Liverpool lead thanks to Benayoun's goal at half-time

45

One minute of stoppage time to be added as Petrov blasts over

44

Sami Hyypia has been excellent so far for Liverpool and he turns the ball behind for a corner from which Laursen's header is weak and easy for Reina

42

Young puts the ball behind for a Liverpool corner but Villa clear

41

It's been scrappy in the last few minutes with neither side able to hold onto the ball for long

38

Benayoun and Bouma clash heads but it looks like they'll both be OK

36

Villa have been very disappointing so far tonight and have not troubled Reina at all

33

Torres wastes possession but the home side continue to dominate at Anfield

30

Another decent move ends with Aurelio firing wide

29

Kuyt does well and fires over a dangerous cross but no-one gets on the end of it

27

Benayoun is fouled and Liverpool win a free-kick in midfield

25

Liverpool just about deserve the lead as Carew is caught offside

22

Villa respond and win a corner but it comes to nothing

20

The goal has lifted Liverpool and Gerrard slices a shot wide

19
Goal
 

Benayoun puts Liverpool one up following a good pass from Kuyt - the winger scoring after his first shot was blocked

17

More good play from Liverpool ends with a Kewell shot that's deflected behind by Mellberg - Gerrard's corner is poor though

15

Torres tries a deft chip but Taylor can claim the ball - better from the home side in the past few minutes though

14

Neat play from Kewell sends Benayoun clear but he then wastes possession when Kuyt was well-placed

12

Fabio Aurelio dwells too long on the ball and Craig Gardner benefits but his cross comes to nothing

11

Mascherano fouls Petrov for a Villa free-kick but Ashley Young's delivery is disappointing and drifts behind

9

Javier Mascherano shoots from around 30 yards but again it's well wide

9

The home fans raise the volume again but a lack of early chances at either end so far

7

Steven Gerrard tries a very ambitious free-kick from some distance out but it's well wide

6

Kuyt pass for Torres is poor and an attack breaks down

4

A fairly tentative start at Anfield by both sides as John Carew handles the ball to give Liverpool a free-kick

2

Kuyt plays Benayoun in and the Israeli fires an early shot over

1

Jamie Carragher's ball aimed at Torres is overhit and Taylor gathers the ball

Kickoff
 

The action gets underway at a noisy Anfield - the home fans making it clear they are backing boss Rafa Benitez

Awaiting Kickoff
 

Liverpool new-boy Martin Skrtel only makes the bench as Yossi Benayoun, Harry Kewell and Dirk Kuyt all return among six changes, Villa make two changes - Stuart Taylor comes in for Scott Carson and Gareth Barry's injury means Olof Mellberg returns.