Sadio Mane Scores Winner as Liverpool Keep Title Hopes Alive in Nervy Win Over Aston Villa

• Liverpool had to come from behind to secure a crucial 2-1 win over Aston Villa
• The Reds were stunned only three minutes into the game as Douglas Luiz struck for the home side
• Parity was restored thanks to Joel Matip, and Sadio Mane gave the visitors the lead in the second half
• Villa thought they had found an equaliser late in the game through Danny Ings, but the goal was ruled out

Liverpool went level on points with Manchester City after a hard-fought victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday, May 10.

It was an interesting encounter as Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, now a manager at Villa, came up against a side he is all too familiar with.

The visitors, despite being heavy favorites in the game, were stunned three minutes into the encounter as Douglas Luiz bundled home the opener after Alisson failed to hold on to the ball.

But Liverpool showed some character with an equaliser moments later, and it came through Joel Matip, who took advantage of a goalmouth scramble.

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Klopp made several key changes to the encounter, with the FA Cup final against Chelsea in mind, as Mohammed Salah and Andy Robertson were started on the bench.

As a result, the Reds played quite nervously, knowing there was no room for any more slip-ups after dropping points against Tottenham Hotspur.

With Salah benched, the Reds were dependent on the brilliance of Sadio Mane to provide a moment of magic, and the Senegal international did just that in the 65th minute.

The 30-year old, who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, scored with a smart header from Luis Diaz’s cross to turn the game on its head, sending the away end into wild celebrations.

Aston Villa will feel they should have come away with a point, but it was not their day, especially with striker Danny Ings wasting several glorious chances.

He was sent twice through on goal but failed to convert on both occasions, and the one time he found the back of the net, his goal was ruled out for offside.

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The biggest setback for Liverpool was the loss of Fabinho, who pulled out in the first half with a hamstring injury and is likely to miss the FA Cup final.