Published: 22:11, 1 November 2025 | Updated: 22:11, 1 November 2025

Don't get them angry. Surely they should have known that? All Unai Emery would have wanted was for his players to turn Anfield into a doctor’s waiting room, filled with silence and tension, but instead they poked the bear.

The game that Liverpool dared not lose became the game they gleefully won, fuelled by the energy of a crowd that used a combination of intense pressing, curious refereeing decisions and needless time-wasting to restore its equilibrium. Villa walked wide-eyed into a trap and paid the price.

Here was an exorcism of Wednesday’s League Cup elimination against Crystal Palace, when Slot’s team selection had put him under the microscope. Back at near full strength, Liverpool moved back up to third, nearly at full throttle, thanks to goals from Mo Salah and Ryan Gravenberch.

To think it almost started so badly. The crowd had arrived wanting to give maximum backing but, equally, fearing there might be another bump in the road – an early goal would have been the perfect tonic to settle nerves but...