Aston Villa slip-up changes Liverpool top-five picture as team drops out of race
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Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesAston Villa FCUnai Emery's side slipped up at already-relegated Burnley on Sunday to hand Liverpool a boost before Friday's potentially decisive Premier League meeting at Villa ParkAston Villa surprisingly slipped up against Burnley on SundayAston Villa was held 2-2 by Burnley on Sunday in the latest twist in the Premier League top-five race.The Villans, buoyed by their midweek European success, were heavy favorites to beat already-relegated Burnley. The Clarets had lost their last five before the encounter, and interim coach Mike Jackson named an experimental line-up at Turf Moor.But it was the Lancashire side that took the lead, when Emiliano Martinez palmed Loum Tchaouna’s effort back into the path of the grateful Jaidon Anthony, who calmly finished.
Either side of half-time, Villa managed to take the lead via Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins, with the latter also seeing a goal chalked off for a marginal offside.READ MORE: Chelsea stat makes damning reading for Arne Slot after Liverpool fan boosREAD MORE: Liverpool's final fixtures compared to Aston Villa and Bournemouth and how many points neededHowever, the lead was almost immediately overturned by Zian Flemming, who casually finished off a free-flowing Bunrley move and placed his shot into the net.The slip-up from Villa means it stays in fourth and Liverpool remains fifth in the table ahead of next week’s meeting at Villa Park.The clubs are currently locked on 59 points in the table, and a win for either on Friday would see it secure a top-five finish.Villa secured its place in the Europa League final in midweek(Image: Getty Images)Liverpool and Villa are four points clear of sixth-place Bournemouth in the table heading into the final two rounds of Premier League fixtures.The Cherries beat Fulham 1-0 on Saturday, while Brighton’s 3-0 win over Wolves means it is still in the hunt for a Champions League finish, and trails Liverpool and Villa by six points.However, Brentford’s 3-0 loss at the Etihad on Saturday ended its hopes of a top-five finish.Slot is unbeaten from three previous meetings with Villa(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)As for Liverpool, it kicked off the weekend of Premier League action with a 1-1 against Chelsea, in another disappointing performance from the reigning champions.Meanwhile, Liverpool’s trip to Villa has been rearranged after Unai Emery’s side progressed to the Europa League final earlier this week.A 4-0 second-leg victory over Nottingham Forest teed up a meeting with Freiburg on May 20. Liverpool’s clash in the West Midlands had originally been scheduled to take place on Sunday, giving Villa just three days’ rest, but the fixture’s rearrangement will help the club’s preparations as it looks to win a first trophy in 30 years.Villa is likely to field a weakened side on Friday, which could play into Liverpool’s hands.Arne Slot, who has come under further pressure since Saturday’s Anfield boos, will hope a Champions League finish would salvage at least some goodwill from what has been a frustrating campaign.A win over Villa would also ensure the final-day meeting against Brentford is deemed irrelevant from a Liverpool perspective, allowing the exits of Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah to take precedence.Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Aston Villa FCLiverpool FCPremier League