Liverpool bounced back to winning form in the Premier League, defeating Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield on Saturday. The night was made even more memorable as Mohamed Salah reached a major milestone, scoring his 250th goal for the club in all competitions.
The Egyptian forward opened the scoring after a rare mistake from Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, while Ryan Gravenberch added the second to seal the win for the Reds.
Salah became only the third player in Liverpool's history to reach 250 goals across all competitions, joining club legends Roger Hunt (285) and Ian Rush (346).
The victory ended a difficult spell for Arne Slot's side, who had lost six of their previous seven matches in all competitions. It also snapped a four-match losing streak in the league. Villa, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat after four consecutive Premier League wins.
With the result, Liverpool climbed to third place in the table with 18 points from 10 matches. Bournemouth, with the same number of points but one game in hand, sit second, while Arsenal lead the league with 25 points from 10 matches. Aston Villa remain 11th with 15 points.
Liverpool dominated possession with 54 percent and registered 16 shots, four of which were on target. Villa had 10 attempts, including three on target.
The visitors came close to scoring in the fifth minute when Morgan Rogers' powerful long-range strike rattled the post. Matty Cash also tested Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili in the 19th minute with a low drive.
Liverpool created several chances of their own, with Dominic Szoboszlai forcing two saves from Martínez in the 23rd and 33rd minutes. Hugo Ekitike thought he had scored in the 43rd minute, but his header was ruled out for offside.
Just before halftime, Liverpool took advantage of a costly error. Martínez mishandled a back-pass from Pau Torres while attempting to return it, sending the ball astray. Salah reacted quickly and slotted home from close range to put Liverpool 1-0 up.
Liverpool doubled their lead in the 58th minute when Ryan Gravenberch's strike from the edge of the box, following a pass from Alexis Mac Allister, deflected off Torres and wrong-footed Martínez before finding the net.
Both teams had further opportunities, but neither managed to add to the scoreline.
Earlier in the evening, Chelsea edged past Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to move up to fifth place with 17 points from 10 matches. Tottenham, with the same points, remain fourth.