Aston Villa

Aston Villa played West Ham in their opening Premier League game of this season - what was the final score and who found the net?

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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You are Andres Garcia. You are 22 years old and six weeks ago you were playing in the Spanish second division. You were quietly impressing good judges, but mostly unknown outside that league, yet to experience top-division or international football at any level.

Now you are at Villa Park, playing in the world's biggest domestic league, selected by one of your country's most decorated coaches. Just a few yards away is Marco Asensio, among the finest players in your nation's recent history. And facing you is many people's idea of the strongest side in Europe.

Amid all the noise and pomp, you settle to your work, shuttling up and down your flank, you fizz over a couple of good crosses, win a corner, rouse the fans in the North Stand. You seem to belong here.

And then, for only an instant, your concentration glitches under pressure. Your pass runs straight to Diogo Jota. You clasp your hands to your head, helpless, and in just four seconds Liverpool turn your mistake into a goal.

You stare at the turf. Now what? Do you shrink or stand up?

"The young players, they have to get their own process," Unai Emery told me later. "I think Andres Garcia's potential is really huge, we can exploit, and because his orientation with us has been so quick, he is not really playing feeling uncomfortable. He is playing more or less in our idea, getting his position and getting his qualities in our structure. His process is like that."

Emery trusts his processes and Garcia should too. Hopefully, he was reassured by his manager's faith in his ability and by the very fast response of several of his team-mates, who were clearly alert to the danger that their inexperienced colleague might be swamped by emotion and self-doubt.

To his great credit, Garcia got back to work, contributed well and was warmly applauded when substituted in the second half.

"He can make some mistakes, but learn quick, and try to do the process always looking forward," said Emery. "[He is] as well being very demanding himself every day... his attitude is fantastic, this is the most important of course."

Wherever Garcia's career takes him, he will doubtless remember this night and that moment. It must have been deeply painful, but there is good reason to think this promising young player - the least heralded and therefore perhaps most interesting of Villa's recent signings - will be stronger for having experienced it.

The hardest league in the world can also be the greatest place to learn.

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We asked for your views on Aston Villa's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Here is a selection of what you sent in.

Prit: In the end it was a fair result with both teams having great chances to win it in the second half. Very happy to see Rashford and Asensio start. But, we are ninth, have 39 points, a goal difference of -3 and that is the bottom line. Unless we win the Champions League we will not be in it next season as we would need to pretty well win every game. Defence is an absolute priority for Unai next season.

William: There was a different feel at a Villa Park. A very decent performance with spirit and desire. Maybe there is an interesting end to our season on the cards…. Bring on the last 12 games!

Rich: Last night summed up Villa's season. Going forward on the counter we pass through the lines at pace and look like scoring several goals a game. At the back we have struggled all season. A disrupted back four has made it very difficult to play out against teams like Liverpool and Newcastle who play a high press. And we have made too many mistakes leading to goals. We are on the right trajectory under Emery though and he is building a good strong squad.

Morgan: Mistakes need to be cut out, but look Garcia is only new to the pace and pressure of Premier League. He'll get there. We could have snatched a win but could easily have lost. But we're competing and no one can say it's boring watching Villa. Still catches me off guard to see where we are at as a club compared to where we were a few seasons ago. Keep the faith.

Steven: Much of the initial reaction focused on Liverpool dropping points. They must have been watching a different game. Villa were much the better side in the first half and deserved to go in ahead. Both Liverpool goals had more than a touch of good fortune gifted to them (passing error and deflection) - and Villa put two more goals in only to be ruled offside. I expect the noises out of the Liverpool camp are born out of concern that they weren't the better side on the night.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Unai Emery insists Aston Villa must learn from their mistakes after Andres Garcia's costly error.

The defender gifted Diogo Jota the ball for the forward to set up Mohamed Salah for Liverpool's opener in Wednesday's 2-2 draw.

Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins fired Villa 2-1 ahead before Trent Alexander-Arnold's second-half leveller.

The point left Villa ninth in the Premier League and five points adrift of the top four.

Emery said: "We were having the same problem sometimes two years ago, even last year, We are trying to get better, to get good position with the players. We need matches.

"Now we have to try to avoid mistakes but we have to accept mistakes, try to learn and get better from it. Last year maybe we could have three or four mistakes like today and always we were moving forward."

Loanees Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio made their first starts since joining during the winter transfer window.

The pair came off mid-way through the second half as they build their match fitness but Emery was happy with their contribution.

He said: "Getting better, getting minutes and confidence with a good feeling with the club, supporters and team mates. I think they performed well and they are helping us more and more."

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Unai Emery spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Aston Villa drew against Liverpool: "I think it is fair, the result for both teams. They had chances and we had chances to win but over 90 minutes, the balance in the moment we scored two goals but they always threatened in behind and scored two goals. We were competing very well but we are not happy with just one result like Liverpool. We want to beat them and try and improve and get better.

"They play good and are fantastic. It is another step forward. We tried to compete in our style and they played good.

"We are conceding more goals than normal and we have to correct it and work it. We want to win and when we are winning despite conceding goals it doesn't matter but when we are not winning we have to concede less goals. We are working to improve every day.

"We compete very well with our style. We needed to deal with their threat when they were competing too. Today I think the result was fair and I think it was a good result after how we played."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back to this page on Thursday to find a selection of your replies

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Marcus Rashford could be handed his first Aston Villa start against Liverpool laater on Wednesday.

The Manchester United loanee has impressed in his two substitute appearances since joining earlier this month.

Forward Rashford has not started since United's 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Plzen in December and completed just four games this season.

Real Madrid loanee Marco Asensio is also pushing to start with Villa, ninth in the Premier League, looking to close the six-point gap to the top four when they host the leaders.

When asked if the pair were getting closer to starting, boss Unai Emery said: "Yes, because they are in their individual process to get fit and understand, tactically, our idea.

"Tactically, we are changing a little bit with those players and we have to try to practise a little bit in the training sessions as well to practise playing in matches.

"We were working every day here, trying to get the idea of them understanding where we are as well- having some meetings, trying to show it.

"Now they are getting better, understanding more and closer to playing in the starting XI."

Aston Villa are capable of beating anyone on their day, but they have not won any of their past four Premier League games and they are short of fit defenders too.

So they have got bigger problems than Liverpool, who are still without Cody Gakpo but otherwise only missing Joe Gomez through injury.

It was interesting to hear Reds defender Andy Robertson admitting the team felt nervous towards the end of Sunday's win over Wolves. I know that feeling, but hearing Robertson say that now surprised me a little bit, because there still a long way to go in the title race.

Robertson has been there, done it and won it with Liverpool before, in the Premier League and Champions League, but it shows how players feel the pressure even if I still feel their seven-point lead, with 13 games to go, is a big gap for Arsenal to make up.

Liverpool are not going to play well all the time, and if this is their blip - a draw in the Merseyside derby thanks to a stoppage-time equaliser by Everton and then an edgy win over Wolves - then it is not exactly a reason to panic.

In the past few weeks they have also gone out of the FA Cup and lost their final Champions League group game against PSV Eindhoven too, but it was their reserves who lost to Plymouth and, in Europe, they were already through.

For Arne Slot, one of the important things now is balancing when to try to rest players - and Aston Villa have been in a similar situation all season because of their Champions League campaign.

Villa do not have the strength in depth Liverpool do, but they do now have Marcus Rashford, who came on and made a bit of a difference in Saturday's draw with Ipswich.

I think Villa will score against Liverpool but it is the other end of the pitch that concerns me with Unai Emery's side, partly because of that lack of defenders, especially centre-halves, but also because I feel teams can always score against them anyway - they have kept only three clean sheets in the league all season.

With Liverpool's attacking power, I am expecting them to find a way through. Arsenal are waiting for them to slip up, and they have got another tough away game at the weekend when they go to Manchester City.

They will know this is a huge week in their season, but before they go to Etihad Stadium, I can see them taking three points here.

The performance for Liverpool does not matter here. It is all about the result, and maintaining that gap.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Make your own prediction here

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• Aston Villa's Unai Emery has won just one of his 12 meetings with Liverpool in all competitions (D4 L7), winning the 2016 UEFA Europa League final 3-1 with Sevilla. Among opponents he has faced 5+ times in his managerial career, that win rate of 8% against Liverpool is his lowest.

• Aston Villa's Marcus Rashford scored five goals in eight home Premier League appearances against Liverpool for Manchester United – his most home goals against any side in the competition. Indeed, excluding penalties, the only players with more home Premier League goals against Liverpool are Sergio Agüero (seven), Thierry Henry (six), and Jamie Vardy (six).

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Liverpool have improved under Arne Slot despite their success under Jurgen Klopp, according to Aston Villa boss Unai Emery.

Slot's Premier League leaders are yet to lose away from home this season, while the hosts have been beaten just once at Villa Park in the top flight, losing 2-0 to Arsenal in August.

Liverpool come to Villa Park for the rearranged game - because of their Carabao Cup final against Newcastle next month - on Wednesday knowing victory will extend their lead at the top to 10 points.

Klopp won their first title for 30 years in 2020 while also lifting the Champions League in 2019 - and being a runner-up twice in both - but Emery believes Slot, who replaced Klopp last summer, has raised Liverpool further.

"With Klopp they did fantastic, but with Slot they're doing even better," he said.

"As a coach, it is a big challenge, a challenge to how we can collectively set our gameplan against them. It's the most difficult match we are going to play for the last weeks and months.

"We have to compete because they are going to demand a lot of us, tactically and individually.

"I appreciate them and they have a very high level of performance this year - more than the past two years. They are even doing better."

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Villa Park (19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Emery confirmed midfielder Boubacar Kamara will miss the game. Defenders Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa, and forward Leon Bailey, are injury doubts but the Villa boss said he will make a final decision on availability tomorrow.

• More on Kamara's issue: "He was ready to play with some problem in his back, but the injury was not coming from his back, it's his hamstring. He is trying to analyse and meet with the doctors and physios a lot to see how we can get better. Exactly why - it's difficult."

• Tyrone Mings will be available to face the Reds: "Very important player. His comeback has been very good, performing very well. He had a small stop in his recovery but he played on Saturday. Tomorrow, we will need him being available, playing his best. He is one of the captains, a leader as well in the defensive line. His commitment is very, very high."

• On hosting the league leaders: "We are excited. Liverpool are now the best team in the Premier League. They are the best team in Europe. Our challenge tomorrow is how we can face them, how can we respond with our quality, how we can play at this level trying to get confidence for ourselves."

• Emery said his side can take lessons from Saturday's 1-1 draw with Ipswich: "We had enough chances. It was not enough but we analyse with the players and we are speaking about how we can respond in the next matches. We are being positive. We are excited and we are performing in the right direction."

• On how Villa plan to cope with Mohamed Salah: "He has been amazing. This year, he is playing his best football. When team-mates have a player like him, everyone is playing more comfortable. We have to try to improve our gameplan, to dominate with our structure, tactically and collectively."

• On managing his squad in a period of four games in nine days: "We are going to prepare for each match with good rest, good food and by sleeping well, and then play each match with the players feeling as well as possible in everything. I have to be demanding of myself as well and choose the players each match to keep us strong and protect the players."

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot has said he would be "completely surprised" if Marcus Rashford does not impress during his loan spell at Aston Villa, as the two sides prepare to meet at Villa Park on Wednesday.

Rashford has scored seven times for Manchester United in matches against the Reds, but only emerged on the winning side four times in 19 meetings.

The 27-year-old will be hoping to start against the league leaders after impressing in the second half of Saturday's draw with Ipswich.

"I know Marcus Rashford as I follow the Premier League," Slot said on Tuesday.

"The first time I faced him was on the USA tour and was really impressed with how fast he is and comfortable on ball. I hope he shows that at Villa - but not tomorrow.

"I'd be completely surprised if a player of that quality isn't going to show that in upcoming months. He is a very good player."

The Reds have an opportunity to go 10 points clear at the top before Arsenal next play, but Slot is not looking beyond the trip the Villa Park with tough matches away to Manchester City and at home to Newcastle to follow.

"I see it as 13 games to be played and the next one is the most important one," the Dutchman added.

"Villa away is like Wolves at home [the 2-1 win on Saturday] - a difficult one. They have a great home record, maybe more when they play in the evening. Last season was 3-3. They have a very good manager who always has a very good gameplan.

"We know it's going to be a challenge but we know we have a quite OK away record this season."

David Michael
Fan writer

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For a team desperate to get in the mix for European football, failing to win any of the past four league games - when already off the pace - is doing nothing more than cementing mid-table status, especially when the past three games were against relegation-threatened teams.

Saturday's 1-1 draw against Ipswich continued Villa's poor record against 10-man teams, with Ipswich playing with a man fewer for 50 minutes. Failing to beat a team that has just three wins in 25 matches and a -27 goal difference suggests that a miraculous turnaround is needed.

Villa's six draws at Villa Park have blunted their domestic ambitions this season and the home tests are about to get more difficult, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle the upcoming visitors.

The well-documented issues lie at both ends of the pitch. An over-reliance on Ollie Watkins for goals magnifies the fact he leads the league in big chances missed with 21, and against Ipswich, Villa fielded their 10th different centre-back combination of the season.

The lazy outside narrative will tell you that Villa are struggling to handle the dual challenge of Champions League and Premier League football. However, considering the lack of quality in the Premier League at the moment - outside of Liverpool and Arsenal, few top teams are actually performing at their best -this simply is not true.

While Villa have had injuries, they possess depth that has only recently been tested in defence, which was poor even before injuries became a factor.

The truth is becoming increasingly clear - a talented Villa team have dropped the ball in the Premier League this season.

Soon, only silverware will provide the season's proverbial silver lining. There is precedent - good Villa teams finished 11th when they lifted the European Cup in 1982 and 10th when they won the League Cup in 1994.

That is the straw I am clutching onto, with Champions League and FA Cup last-16 games to come.

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

Former Premier League striker Glenn Murray believes Aston Villa fans saw "the Marcus Rashford of old" in the second half of Saturday's 1-1 draw against Ipswich.

The Manchester United loanee was substituted on at half-time with his side 1-0 down and impacted the game with direct running, physicality and intent.

It was his fine free-kick which hit the crossbar and fell to Ollie Watkins to score the equaliser from the rebound.

If not for some late heroics from Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer, Rashford would have forced the winner when his cross was deflected towards his own goal by Conor Townsend.

A player criticised recently for his work-rate, he also recorded impressive defensive numbers, making three tackles alongside winning seven duels to illustrate his commitment to helping the team.

"I watched him and he looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders," Murray told the Football Daily podcast.

"He looked like the Marcus Rashford of old - running at people, committing defenders, being positive in his end product.

"We all knew it was there, we all knew he was capable of it. It's been a long time coming. Aston Villa fans will hope they continue to see that.

"Really refreshing from Marcus Rashford."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Ipswich Town.

Here are some of your comments:

Aston Villa fans:

Max: The result doesn't tell the story. As the saying goes, "games are decided by moments". Ipswich had a moment that resulted in a goal and Villa had many that resulted in ONLY the one. Ipswich defended like Spartans. There were times when Villa seemed too relaxed to press their advantage. Rashford did everything he could, but a few of the mainstays looked a little tired. Marcus has earned a start from this and the Spurs game. One bit of brightness on an otherwise dreary result.

William: I can see us finishing 10th in the Premier League, going out in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and going out in the last 16 of the Champions League. Is that a successful season? I'm not sure.

Damien: So many disappointing results in games that are absolutely winnable. Somehow we remain four/five points off the Champions League places despite our form in recent months, but I think any hope of finishing in the top six is gone. Too many teams competing between fourth and 10th now and we don't have the consistency or the efficiency to put games away. All hopes in the FA Cup and the Champions League run.

Prit: Same old problems once again in this Aston Villa season - can't keep a clean sheet and can't score enough goals. Last week we should have been out of sight against Spurs and we should have scored at least five against Ipswich. Teams above us are taking their chances and each week it makes our chances of European football more remote (unless we win the Champions League and/or the FA Cup). On the plus side, looks like Rashford and Marco Asensio could make a real contribution.

Ipswich fans:

Marcus: Fabulous game by Ipswich. We fought incredibly hard with 10 men for an hour, but Ollie Watkins' goal was unstoppable. Our new goalkeeper was man of the match - he was sensational. With a keeper on form like that, have we possibly just tipped ourselves to getting out of the relegation zone?

Glenn: Would have taken a point before the game. Going down to 10 men would have ripped your hand off for a point. How good was Alex Palmer? What a way to make your Premier League debut.

Peter: The signing of Palmer could well be the piece of the puzzle we've been missing. With Liam Delap up front we always carry a threat. Fingers crossed Julio Encisco isn't out for any sustained period as he looks dangerous too. We will stay up!

James: I can't remember celebrating a more satisfying draw, especially up against a very one-sided refereeing display. The two yellow cards given to Alex Tuanzebe were incredibly soft. I thought Kieran McKenna got the tactics spot on, defending heroically and pushing forward when the opportunity was there. Delap's goal was expertly taken, and Villa's equaliser highly unfortunate. We then stood up to everything they threw at us, with Palmer's jaw-dropping late save the icing on the cake of a thoroughly deserved point. Such a performance and result should give everyone a boost heading into a potentially season-defining game against Tottenham next weekend.

Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea and Tottenham have all been closely monitoring Middlesbrough's 16-year-old midfield twins Anton and Bailey Palmer. (TBR Football), external

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Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Brighton and Chelsea.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 4-0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton