Aston Villa impress and take three points from Anfield

Super Mario wasn't super for Liverpool on Saturday

Liverpool slipped up at the hands of Aston Villa as the decision to rest Raheem Sterling seemed to backfire on the Liverpool manager. Alex Johnson reports on the Saturday evening clash.

Gabriel Agbonlahor grabbed the only goal of the game as Aston Villa battled for a famous 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.

Unbeaten on their last three visits to Anfield and also in three Premier League games this season, conceding just a single goal on the way, it should perhaps be no surprise that Aston Villa arrived on Merseyside in confident mood.

However, this is Anfield and this is Liverpool, second in the Premier League last season and fresh from hammering Tottenham at White Hart Lane a fortnight ago.

But, this is also a Liverpool without Luis Suarez. So with Daniel Sturridge injured it was a huge surprise to those inside Anfield to hear that Raheem Sterling would start from the substitutes' bench. It would be a decision Brendan Rodgers would live to regret.

The Villans started brightly and took the game to Liverpool in the opening moments. Debutant Tom Cleverley was heavily involved alongside England new boy Fabian Delph in midfield and Agbonlahor was a constant menace.

Liverpool's marking left plenty to be desired at Villa's first corner where Nathan Baker only just missed out on a free header and they failed again on nine minutes as the visitors broke the deadlock. Dejan Lovren got too tight to Philippe Senderos and the Swiss centre-half muscled him out of the way to nod down and Agbonlahor was on hand to hook the ball into the corner of the net from six yards.

Jubilation ensued for the travelling band of Villa fans and it should have been even better for them just four minutes later as Senderos found himself unmarked on the six-yard line but managed to head over. The same problem continued throughout the first half as Steven Gerrard headed Andreas Weimann's volley off the line before Senderos kneed an attempt over the bar.

Mario Balotelli was virtually anonymous on an underwhelming home debut for the Italian striker who didn't really seem to fit the style of play Rodgers has been looking for. Where Luis Suarez and Sturridge dart at pace into the channels, and drag defenders away, the Italian ambles into those areas and is easily picked up.

There were whispers at the break of Sterling being thrown on and the shape changed back to a traditional diamond that has been so successful for the hosts over the last year or so, but it didn't come. Only after another 15 minutes of ponderous attacking play did Rodgers introduce Sterling. However, the England man would have little impact as Villa denied him the room to work and cut out all the space behind their defence.

As desperation set in, Rickie Lambert and outcast Fabio Borini were introduced for the final 20 minutes in place of the anonymous Balotelli and Lazar Markovic, but both toiled as the hosts failed to find a way through.

The closest they would come would be through Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho as he weaved his way into the penalty area and curled a superb effort against the far post before Sterling's rebound hit a subdued Jordan Henderson and bounced to safety.

Was this the first time that Liverpool and their fans realised how much they will miss the departed Suarez? The now Barcelona striker would have given the Villa defence something else to think about and you have to wonder, after a second defeat in four games, whether Rodgers' side can really maintain a title challenge without him.

For Paul Lambert and his side, the result is a huge bonus that continues their fine start to the season. The Villans were predicted to struggle again this campaign but are now sitting pretty in second place in the table.

Of course, nobody will expect them to be there at the end of the season, but they are already a quarter of the way to the magical 40-point mark that they would have been targeting before the season started last month.