Liverpool 3 - 0 Aston Villa

Gerard Houllier suffered a miserable return to Anfield as struggling Aston Villa were comprehensively swept aside by Liverpool.
Houllier received a warm welcome from Liverpool's supporters on his managerial comeback to the club he left in 2004, but that was as good as it got for the man who won four major cup competitions in a six-year Anfield reign.
And on the grim evidence Aston Villa produced here, Houllier will have to undertake major reconstruction if he is to enjoy even a slice of that success at Villa Park.
Liverpool strolled to victory, even without the injured Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and striker Fernando Torres, who missed the game after his wife went into labour.
It meant Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson fielded an unfamiliar strike force of David Ngog and Ryan Babel, and they made the most of their opportunity with the early goals that set their side on the way to victory to leave Villa with just two wins in their last 12 games.
Ngog headed Liverpool into a 14th-minute lead with a header as Villa failed miserably to deal with a corner, and Babel added a second two minutes later with a fine low finish.
Liverpool provided the scoreline with an even more convincing look after 55 minutes when Maxi Rodriguez warmed an Anfield crowd shivering in sub-zero temperatures with a delightful finish from Ngog's pass.
Villa's fans did themselves far more credit than their players - although the heavy sarcasm and gallows humour aimed at their team will have hurt Houllier as he tries to win over those still sceptical about his appointment.
Liverpool never needed to hit top gear to dispose of Villa, but Hodgson's side deserve full credit for the manner in which they made light of the absence of three such influential figures.
It was also a landmark night for Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina, who kept his 100th clean sheet for the club in record time.
Houllier, however, looks to have inherited a Villa defence in terminal decline, and the cracks were apparent early on as Liverpool established a lead they never looked like relinquishing.
Martin Skrtel was unmarked when he met Raul Meireles' corner, and Ngog was in even more splendid isolation as he headed past the badly exposed Villa keeper Brad Friedel.
Liverpool doubled their lead two minutes later when Villa were guilty of more shoddy defending as Babel took control of Lucas's pass on the turn ahead of Stephen Warnock to beat Friedel with a low drive into the bottom corner.
The rest of the half meandered to an uneventful conclusion, but any slim hopes Villa had of hauling Liverpool back evaporated with a superb third goal 10 minutes after the break.
Gabriel Agbonlahor had wasted Villa's best chance when he allowed keeper Reina to block from close range, and he paid the price for his generosity as Liverpool wrapped up the game in style.
Maxi found Ngog on the left, then continued his run to take the return pass and place a precise side-foot finish high into the top corner, a move and a finish that drew full appreciation from a frozen Anfield gallery.
Houllier made a double change, sending on John Carew and Robert Pires for Agbonlahor and Marc Albrighton, but by this stage the game was well beyond Villa's reach.
And Liverpool almost added to Houllier's misery with a fourth after 67 minutes when Glen Johnson broke into the penalty area, only to be thwarted by Friedel's fine block.
Sotirios Kyrgiakos was even closer with a header that was goalbound until Jonathan Hogg smuggled it off the line by the post.
Liverpool closed out the win with the minimum of fuss, to leave Hodgson delighted with another home win and Houllier with a graphic demonstration of the scale of the work he has to do to revive floundering Villa.

Liverpool 1 - 3 Aston Villa

Aston Villa produced an outstanding defensive display to secure their first win against Liverpool in eight years as Rafael Benitez's side continued their stuttering start to the new Premier League campaign.
Villa had been heavily criticised after losing their opening home game to Wigan Athletic and slumping to defeat in the Europa League against Rapid Vienna - but they answered all the questions in emphatic fashion at Anfield.
Liverpool faded after a bright start, and have now lost as many league games as they did last season following losses against Spurs and now Villa.
Anfield was left frustrated as Liverpool wasted the opportunities that came their way, but ultimately they were reduced to running up blind alleys, and out of ideas, in the face of Villa's resilience.
Villa were set on their way after 34 minutes when Lucas deflected Ashley Young's free-kick into his own net, and they grabbed a second on the stroke of half-time when Curtis Davies headed in Nicky Shorey's corner at the near post.
Liverpool surged forward after the break, but met a white wall of resistance as Villa defended their precious lead, with Carlos Cuellar outstanding and goalkeeper Brad Friedel a commanding presence.
Fernando Torres gave Liverpool hope with a close-range strike after 72 minutes, but any hopes of a dramatic revival ended three minutes later when Steven Gerrard brought down Nigel Reo-Coker and Young scored from the spot.
Villa boss Martin O'Neill was elated - and rightly so as his side got their season up and running with a landmark victory.
For Liverpool, they will now they simply have to produce better - and more creative - performances as they chase their first title in 20 years.
Liverpool were almost ahead inside the first 30 seconds when Yossi Benayoun beat Friedel to Torres' lofted pass but his header fell inches wide.
Villa survived an even bigger scare after eight minutes when Torres' miscue fell invitingly into the path of Gerrard six yards out, but Friedel struck out a leg and diverted his effort over the bar when a goal seemed certain.
O'Neill's side then produced some stern resistance, with Torres growing increasingly frustrated at what he saw as the over-physical treatment being meted out by the Villa rearguard.
Villa slowly worked their way into the game - but it was still against the run of play when they went ahead in fortuitous fashion after 34 minutes as Lucas unwittingly headed Young's routine free-kick past a stranded Pepe Reina.
And they delivered another counter-punch seconds before half-time, in what Liverpool clearly felt were contentious circumstances.
Keeper Reina was so infuriated by referee Martin Atkinson's decision to award a corner when Steve Sidwell's shot was adjudged to have deflected off Martin Skrtel that he lashed the ball away in disgust and was given a yellow card.
Liverpool felt insult was added to injury when Davies stole in ahead of Torres and Jamie Carragher at the near post to head Villa's second.
The Kop urged Liverpool forward as they predictably lay siege to Villa's goal after the break - and Friedel was the hero with a magnificent diving save to turn away Gerrard's rising drive.
And as the pressure mounted, with Dirk Kuyt heading against the post after Carragher flicked on Gerrard's cross, Torres threw Liverpool a lifeline with 18 minutes remaining as he steered in a simple finish following good work from Emiliano Insua.
Hope was revived inside Anfield, but snuffed out inside three minutes when Gerrard's badly-mistimed tackle on Reo-Coker resulted in an inevitable penalty, which Young dispatched calmly.
It was the decisive blow and Villa held out in relative comfort, with Liverpool resigned to a damaging defeat long before the final whistle.

Liverpool 2-2 Aston Villa

Peter Crouch earned Liverpool a draw against Aston Villa as the Reds failed to move back into the top four.
Reds fans held up banners throughout to show support for boss Rafa Benitez and criticise their American owners, though there was no mass protest as suggested.
They took the lead when Yossi Benayoun stabbed in at the second attempt, but Marlon Harewood's overhead kick and a Fabio Aurelio own goal put Villa ahead.
Substitute Crouch volleyed home with two minutes left to earn a point.
But the draw is another blow to the Anfield club's already slender title hopes and leaves them 14 points behind Manchester United and Arsenal - and two behind Everton, who are fourth.
Liverpool's future has been the subject of much speculation in recent days and some Reds fans were keen to vent their fury at the club's US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Hicks' admission last week that the club spoke to Jurgen Klinsmann about the managerial position in November has enraged many supporters of Benitez.
There were plenty of banners backing the under-fire Spaniard and also asking for the Americans to sell the club to Dubai International Capital, which BBC Sport understands is considering making an offer to buy them out.
Liverpool and Benitez badly needed a win and after a scrappy opening they went ahead, the goal brilliantly created by Kuyt, who has come in for some criticism for his displays this season.
The Dutchman received a Steven Gerrard pass with his back to goal 18 yards out, turned and played the ball through to Benayoun in one movement and, after the Israeli's initial shot was blocked, he reacted quickest to turn in the rebound.
Villa's attacking threat was being curbed by their own failure to stay onside and they were nearly punished at the other end again when Kuyt neatly laid the ball off for Aurelio to rifle just wide from 15 yards.
The visitors were offering little, their midfield badly missing the drive of the injured Gareth Barry, the Villa captain sidelined for the first time this season due to a pelvic injury.
It seemed a matter of time before Liverpool doubled their lead, Harry Kewell forcing Stuart Taylor to save low down to his right and then Fernando Torres firing onto the roof of the net from the edge of the box.
But the introduction of Harewood for Craig Gardner proved a masterstroke from Villa boss Martin O'Neill and swung the game dramatically in the visitors' favour.
He almost set up a goal with a powerful run down the left, before Martin Laursen headed a free-kick back across goal and Harewood performed an overhead kick to beat Jose Reina and silence Anfield.
Two minutes later and Villa, unbelievably, were ahead as Olof Mellberg's shot from an Ashley Young cross took a wicked deflection off Aurelio and looped into the net.
Benitez brought on Ryan Babel and Crouch and the giant hitman rescued a draw when he ran on to Jamie Carragher's pass and smashed the ball past Taylor.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa (Skrtel 70), Carragher, Hyypia, Aurelio, Benayoun (Crouch 80), Mascherano, Gerrard, Kewell (Babel 74), Kuyt, Torres.Subs Not Used: Itandje, Alonso.
Booked: Arbeloa, Mascherano.
Goals: Benayoun 19, Crouch 88.
Aston Villa: Taylor, Mellberg, Laursen, Davies, Bouma, Gardner (Harewood 66), Petrov, Reo-Coker, Young, Carew (Knight 90), Agbonlahor.Subs Not Used: Sorensen, Cahill, Osbourne.
Booked: Laursen, Young.
Goals: Harewood 69, Aurelio 72 og.
Att: 42,590.
Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).

Villa's anything but a holiday

JUST after Gareth Barry scored that dubiously awarded penalty on Saturday - Martin O'Neill please note - I think all Liverpool supporters were probably thinking "here we go again".
We'd played well, had most of the possession and missed a host of chances and here we were back at 1-1.
Thankfully, up steps Stevie G to hit home an excellent free-kick and ensure we got the three points the performance deserved.
O'Neill later griped that Gerrard had played for the free-kick but failed to mention that Petrov could be seen holding Gerrard back. An obvious foul and rightly punished.
Villa is a difficult place to go at the best of times but especially on the opening day of a new season.
Last season, only United got three points there and recently Villa trounced Inter Milan in a friendly.
To come away with the three points and a very encouraging overall performance was as much as we could have hoped for and we got both.
Kuyt and Torres seem to be developing a real understanding. Torres is very quick for a big man and has deft skills and quick feet. The signs look good. As they also do for Babel, who made an immediate impression with his skill and shooting.
The fact that Crouch, Mascherano, Kewell and Benayoun did not even travel shows the depth the squad has, with maybe more signings to come.
Gerrard's joy as he ran to the visiting fans after his free-kick was plain to see and hopefully we will see that smile a lot more this season as the Reds march towards the Premiership and on to Moscow.