# Aston Villa Defeated 3-0 by Liverpool in Anfield
Aston Villa suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, with head coach Unai Emery saying his side were “weak defensively”. The defeat was a blow to Aston Villa’s hopes of a top-four finish this season.
The match saw Liverpool take the lead in the first half through Mohamed Salah’s goal, before two late goals from Sadio Mane and Curtis Jones sealed the victory for the Reds. The result leaves Aston Villa in tenth place in the Premier League table, eight points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
Speaking after the match, Emery said: “We were weak defensively. We had some chances to score but we didn’t take them. We have to improve our defensive performance if we want to compete for a top-four place.”
The defeat was a setback for Aston Villa, who had been in good form prior to the match. They had won their previous three Premier League matches, including an impressive 3-0 win over Leicester City.
However, they were unable to replicate that form against Liverpool, with Emery’s side struggling to contain the Reds’ attacking threat. Liverpool had 21 shots on goal, with 12 of them on target, compared to Aston Villa’s six shots on goal, with just one on target.
The result means Liverpool remain top of the Premier League table, four points ahead of second-placed Manchester United. Aston Villa, meanwhile, remain in tenth place and face a difficult task to break into the top four this season.
You can watch highlights of Sunday’s Premier League action on Match Of The Day 2 at 22:30 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC sport website & app. Available to UK users only.