Jurgen Klopp is set to hit a big milestone as Liverpool take on Aston Villa in the Premier League today.
After last week’s drama at Newcastle, goals are again expected at Anfield for the Reds – history suggests so, too.
A day of landmarks
Jurgen Klopp will manage Liverpool for the 300th time in the Premier League. He has won 187 games, with 69 draws and 43 defeats.
The next goal Liverpool score will be their 900th in all games under the German.
Should Mo Salah score in this game, he will be find the net in his 150th different Liverpool game.
Trent Alexander-Arnold should captain the Reds for the first time in the Premier League and the first time at Anfield. His previous game as captain was the Champions League group match at Midtjylland in December 2020.
By scoring twice at Newcastle last Sunday, Darwin Nunez became the first Liverpool player in the Premier League era to score an equaliser and a winning goal in the same game.
The Uruguayan’s winning goal vs. Newcastle saw Liverpool become the English top-flight’s all-time highest scorers. It was their 7,196th goal and took them one goal above Everton in the list.
It’s always nice to get one over the Blues!
Not a fixture that bores
The Reds have won more league games (93) and amassed more league points against the Midlanders (320), converting to three points for a win, than they have against any other club.
Liverpool have scored 338 league goals against Villa in their history, more than they have netted against any other team.
The last 12 encounters in all competitions have produced 48 goals. That’s an average of four per match.
Only once in the last 42 years has there been a goalless draw at Anfield (37 league encounters). That came in March 2000 – Gerard Houllier was in charge of Villa that day.
In the Premier League, Liverpool have won 32 of the 56 meetings home and away. Villa have won 13 with 11 draws. At Anfield, in the same period, the Reds have won 16, drawn six and lost six.
The Reds have have lost five of the last 37 league meetings home and away, and have won nine of the last 11 league meetings – the only blemish being the 7-2 defeat at Villa Park in October 2020.
Villa have failed to score in only two of the last 28 league outings.
Emery record reads nicely for Reds
Unai Emery has won one of his nine meetings with Liverpool. That came in his first encounter, in 2016, when his Sevilla team won the Europa League Final in Basel 3-1.
In that time his teams have conceded 24 times.
The last 2 Villa players sent off against Liverpool were both former Reds players. Stan Collymore was dismissed in November 1998 with Brad Friedel’s red card at Anfield in March 2009 eventually being rescinded.
Ollie Watkins have scored five goals in his six appearances against Liverpool. He missed a penalty at the Kop end in this fixture last May. Four of those goals coming in the opening half.
Watkins is one of only 11 men to score a hat-trick against Liverpool in the Premier League era. No player has ever done so twice.
Scorers so far this season
Liverpool: Diaz 2, Nunez 2, Jota 1, Salah 1
Aston Villa (league in brackets): Watkins 3 (0), Bailey 3 (1), Cash 3 (2), Diaby 2 (2), Duran 2 (1), Douglas Luiz 2 (1), McGinn 1 (1).
* Stats courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).
