Liverpool's pace begins to slow down

BIRMINGHAM, THURSDAY — Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, was slightly upset with his team's failure to secure full points when visiting Aston Villa's home ground, Villa Park Stadium, Birmingham, early Thursday morning (20/2/2025) Western Indonesian Time. Liverpool's initially strong pace in the English Premier League title race has now begun to slow down. Within just one week, "The Reds" have already lost four valuable points, allowing Arsenal to close the gap.

After winning against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, Slot hopes his team can continue the positive trend. However, Liverpool had to settle for a 2-2 draw. They almost lost if right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold had not scored the equalizing goal in the 61st minute.

"That was a great match, but I am not happy with the result. I feel we defended well, but I cannot accept the many chances created by Villa. We scored two good goals and created enough opportunities to win," said Slot after the match, as quoted by BBC Sport.

Liverpool managed to take the lead first through a close-range shot by Mohamed Salah in the 29th minute. However, Villa only needed nine minutes to score an equalizer through Youri Tielemans. In the added time of the first half, the home supporters cheered as Ollie Watkins successfully converted a cross from Lucas Digne. Alexander-Arnold became Liverpool's hero by scoring the equalizing goal.

The additional three points from Villa still place Liverpool at the top of the standings. "The Reds" are eight points ahead of their closest rival, Arsenal, who are trailing in second place.

Liverpool's draw is certainly a good momentum for Arsenal to narrow the gap to five points. Moreover, Liverpool is already awaited by a tough opponent, Manchester City, next weekend. With this, it is understandable why Slot is very frustrated with the draw against Villa. For him, the match against Villa should have been won.

A different perspective was expressed by Liverpool fans. For them, it was not two points lost, but rather one point successfully gained. This is because Liverpool nearly lost when Donyell Malen's shot hit the goalpost in the final minutes. If Malen's shot had gone in, victory would almost certainly have belonged to Villa.

There was also a golden opportunity that was wasted by striker Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan striker failed to score from close range when the goal was empty. "I think we are all disappointed. But it is normal that players who miss opportunities like this are always a little more disappointed than others," said Slot.

In the end, the final result knows no assumptions. The draw against Villa also further confirms that Liverpool's pace has begun to slow down. In fact, "The Reds" initially raced fast with only one defeat from Nottingham Forest.

Now Liverpool must struggle to fight for full points. Liverpool's slowing trend began to be seen since losing to Plymouth Argyle in the fourth round of the FA Cup. After that, Liverpool conceded in the final minutes when drawing 2-2 against Everton in the Merseyside Derby. Facing Wolves a few days later, Liverpool had to bleed to secure a 2-1 victory.

However, Slot dismissed the notion that his team's performance was declining. The proof, said Slot, is that Liverpool were able to excel in creating opportunities.

Liverpool recorded two golden opportunities that failed to produce goals. One from Nunez, another opportunity from Diogo Jota's shot that hit the goalpost.

Liverpool's problem in this match was that they wasted too many chances. On the other hand, Liverpool's defense, especially on the right side, was very fragile.

Alexander-Arnold's defensive weaknesses were exploited well by Villa who often created dangerous opportunities from the position left by Alexander-Arnold.

"I don't feel like that at all (a drop in performance). When you go to Villa, it's always a tough game. Performance-wise, I don't think there was a drop in performance today," Slot said. (REUTERS)