VAR check Villa thought somebody was fouled off the ball, either Cash or Rogers, and the goal is being checked.

51 min “They are the same people who said that Marcellus Wallace threw Antoine Roccamora off a four-storey balcony because he gave Marcellus’ wife a foot rub,” says Niall Mullen. “They may be unreliable.”

50 min Ngumoha surges to the byline and does well to keep the ball in play with a sliding cross. A number of players switch off, thinking the ball has gone out of play, which allows Jones to have a shot that is blocked by Pau Torres. Gomez’s follow-up is off target.

49 min “I was quite impressed about the way Liverpool went about their business in the first half with some slick, incisive passing setting up half-chances,” writes Colum Fordham. “Ngumoha looked lively. Szoboszlai was getting into good positions and shot well from distance. But the nth example of abysmal defending, with no one following Rogers, led to the inevitable goal.

“I really think Slot is in the last-chance saloon. No imagination. Perhaps Salah could provide a final flash of inspiration to turn things around. Gakpo looks bereft of ideas or maybe support.

“Hats off to a gutsy Aston Villa.”

48 min A quiet start to the second half.

47 min “What ingredient was Slot missing this season, that he will have after the summer?” asks Drew. “A defensive midfielder? A fast winger? A non-injured right back? A snazzy away kit? It doesn’t seem like individual pieces that Liverpool are missing, it seems like an identity, a collective plan.

“Call it style, tactics, philosophy, mindset, I don’t know, but Liverpool are a team nobody would be scared of playing, home or away, and that has to rest with the coaching; I don’t think the remedy is more of the same coaching. The XI who will line up next week v Brentford seem no further along as a team than the XI that lost to Palace in the Charity Shield. Twenty defeats are on the table. Twenty!”

Liverpool have had terrible luck with injuries this season; even tonight they are missing four or five of Slot’s best XI. Surely that counts for something?

46 min Villa begin the second half. They’ve brought on Ross Barkley for Victor Lindelof at the break.

“When Szoboszlai hits a ball, it stays hit, as they say,” begins Matt Dony. “He’s got such tremendous technique, and although it’s a different sort of action to Trent, it’s still tremendously aesthetically pleasing. As rough as this season has been, just imagine how much worse it would have been without Dom’s efforts. Seems like a good bloke, too. And frustratingly handsome. What a man. Build the team around him next season. He makes things tick.”

All true, but I want to go back to your first sentence. Who are they? And how do we know we can trust them? Because they do say an awful lot and I’m starting to wonder.

Half-time reading

Popcorn, please!

45+3 min Watkins is booked for playing on, and putting the ball in the net, after being given offside.

45 min Three minutes of added time.

44 min On Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher is wondering whether Mamardashvili might have done better with the goal. He was very close to getting a touch, and it might be that he saw the ball late as it came around a Liverpool defender.

Villa won a corner on the left, taken by Digne. He clipped the ball a long way back to McGinn, who returned the ball to Digne on the left. While they were doing that dance, Rogers sneaked into space on the left side of the area. Digne found him with a simple pass infield, and Rogers opened his body to shape a curler into the far corner. Lovely stuff.

41 min Rogers runs down the right and hits a terrific first-time cross that bounces across the six-yard box. Gomez clears at the far post.

38 min Cash is booked for a late tackle on Kerkez.

37 min Liverpool continue to dominate. Villa have been unable to feed Watkins on the break, with Rogers looking a bit subdued.

33 min Szoboszlai clips a cross into a very crowded six-yard box. It’s met ahead of the near post by Mac Allister, who heads over and punches the air in frustration.

31 min Szoboszlai moves to within 30 yards of goal and cuts across a spectacular shot that is pushed away by Martinez as he dives to his left. Lovely effort and a pretty good save.

30 min Villa were the better team early on but Liverpool are on top now.

25 min Ngumoha zips infield from the left and tries a curler from 25 yards. Over the bar.

23 min A bit of a scramble in the Villa area ends with Gakpo going down under a challenge from Konsa. Liverpool appeal for a penalty; Chris Kavanagh says no.

22 min “Little though I care about what happens with Liverpool, I’m with you on Slot deserving another year before being judged,” says Geoff Wignall. “Aside from all the injuries and the emotional fallout from Diogo Jota’s death, that sad event also destroyed their pre-season pretty much entirely - at a time of trying to integrate several new players.

“I don’t think their recruitment was necessarily the greatest, but without a pre-season and with all the subsequent disruptions from injuries it’s a bit harsh for anyone to demand total cohesion and consistency.”

20 min Gomez, who has never scored in senior football, shoots over from distance.

18 min Van Dijk clips a fine pass over the defence towards Ngumoha. His first touch takes the ball square rather than towards goal, which allows Cash to clear the danger.

14 min I forgot to say that Watkins is back on and looks okay. In fact he’s been the most dangerous attacker so far, causing Liverpool a lot of problems with his pace and movement.

13 min Tielemans takes the free-kick short to Cash, whose stinging shot is blocked by a Liverpool defender.

11 min Mamardashvili runs outside his area to intercept a long pass, only to fluff his clearance straight to Rogers. There’s no chance of a shot so Rogers sweeps a cross that is half cleared by Konate. Villa regain possession and Buendia is fouled just outside the area on the left by Gomez.

10 min Watkins is walking to the touchline holding either his side or his back. It looks like he wants to continue.

9 min This is a big concern for Villa ahead of the Europa League final against Freiburg. It looks like it might be a hip problem.

8 min Watkins makes an excellent channel run to receive a pass from Buendia on the left side of the area. He cuts back inside Van Dijk, beating him quite easily, but then slices a shot over the bar. I think Van Dijk leaned into Watkins, who has stayed down and looks in a fair bit of pain.

6 min Kerkez combines well with Ngumoha and lifts a deep cross that is headed away by his fellow left-back Digne. Liverpool are monopolising possession; Villa look good on the break.

3 min Liverpool have started with Jones, rather than Szoboszlai, on the right of midfield.

2 min Rogers collects possession inside the Liverpool half and sets off on a diagonal run, covering 50 yards before playing the ball inside to Watkins on the edge of the area. Watkins’ smart shot on the turn is held to his right by Mamardashvili.

2 min “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “A game that ends 5-4 is a nine-goal thriller. Think PSG v Bayern, East Fife v Forfar. A 6-3 might also qualify, depending on circumstances. England v Hungary. Southampton v Man United. A 7-2 is not a nine-goal thriller. I was at Tannadice a few years ago when Dundee United lost 9-0 to Celtic. Thrilling it was not.”

1 min Peep peep! Liverpool kick off from right to left as we watch.

The players have lined up for the pre-match formalities. It’s a lovely, sunkissed evening in Aston. Gotta love night matches that begin in daylight.

“Right Rob, let’s get down to brass tacks – Slot, should he be shown the door or given another year?” asks Peadar de Burca. “On the evidence of, let’s say, the last ten games, you’d have to say that the Liverpool manager has been found wanting. That extra little bit of innovation or rough magic hasn’t been there. A lot of talent at the top end of the team and you get the feeling a good manager could have shaped those players into something sharper, as opposed to the butter knife attack we’ve mostly seen. So, give him the boot?

“Well, this is a Liverpool team in transition. I suspect the owners, no mugs, had this in mind back in July after Diogo Jota’s tragic death and saw this as a year to acquire some serious talent, let them bed in with the real aim being the 2026-27 season. You’d hope Jeremy Jacquet will be joined by one or two more defensively minded players and the team will have more balance. The team will have had time to become a team. Let’s not judge Slot now, but in eight months’ time when Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz and Ngumoha are able to read each other’s minds.

“Having said that, if they lose tonight, I’ll be effing and jeffing like the cranky, bald Irishman I am.”

I think he has more than enough credit in the bank to get another year, but I also know I’m in the minority.

Arne Slot’s pre-match thoughts

Today we are without nine players. The good news is that Florian and Mo are on the bench, but Alex [Isak] is out with a minor injury.

I have to compliment Mo on how hard he has worked to be back. It’s not always straightforward with the type of injury he had.

In other news, it’s the FA Cup final tomorrow!

Unai Emery’s pre-match thoughts

Good evening. The priority is the Premier League – our main objective for the season was to fight to be in the top five. It is our last home game of the season, against Liverpool: our focus is 100 per cent on this match.

We are so, so happy with our overall performance this season. But we are demanding and we have asked the players why [some recent performances have been below-par].

Victor Lindelof was playing in midfield for Benfica a decade ago. He is experienced, a responsible player and he is doing good work.

Liverpool have very good players in their starting XI. They have not been as consistent this season, but I have massive respect for them and for Arne Slot.

The rare sound of boos rang out at Anfield after the final whistle on Saturday. Normally, that would be an extreme response to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, but context is everything. The visitors went into the game on the back of six straight league defeats, looking vulnerable and there for the taking. Not for the first time this season, though, Liverpool failed to add to a visiting opponent’s woes.

Manchester United earned their first away win of the season at Anfield in October after picking up just one point from their first three league trips. Nottingham Forest also struggled early in the campaign, losing three and drawing two of their first five away games, before claiming a comprehensive 3-0 victory at Liverpool in November. Burnley had lost eight of their 10 away league games when they visited Anfield in January yet they earned a 1-1 draw.

Perhaps the most egregious was in March when Tottenham were at their lowest ebb. Heading for what felt like an inevitable relegation after five straight league defeats, Spurs won what turned out to be Igor Tudor’s only Premier League point with a late Richarlison goal securing a 1-1 draw.

“Aston Villa have only won one of their last 16 league games against Liverpool, which was that amazing 7-2 in 2020 (with goals from john mcginn, ollie watkins, jack grealish and ross barkley),” says andrew goudie. “i’m sure i’m not alone in expecting another nine-goal thriller tonight.”

Does a 7-2 count as a nine-goal thriller? Stricly speaking there were nine goals, and it was thrilling, but I feel like the phrase “xx-goal thriller” usually refers to a close game.

Arne Slot has said he has “every reason to believe” he will remain Liverpool’s head coach next season and get the opportunity to rectify the champions’ decline.

Slot’s position has been the subject of intense debate for much of a disappointing season, and Anfield’s frustrations rose to the surface last weekend when boos accompanied the 1-1 draw with Chelsea. Internally, Liverpool’s position has not changed. There remains support for the coach who delivered the Premier League title in his debut season and recognition of the numerous problems he has encountered since.

Liverpool visit fifth-placed Aston Villa on Friday knowing victory would secure Champions League qualification. Asked whether he expected to be in charge next season, the Dutch coach replied: “I don’t think I am deciding that alone by myself, but I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season. First of all, I am contracted to this club and second of all from all the talks we are having. That is my take on it.

“But if you don’t have the best season, especially if you compare with last season – if you compare it with other seasons you might have a different debate – then this has definitely not been a great season and it is also normal that criticism comes. We have all had our share, and with ‘all’ I mean the players have had their share, the manager has had their share and other people in the club have had their share. That is how things work nowadays if you don’t win the league.”

How many English clubs can you get in a Champions League? The answer seems to be “as many as possible”, Friday night’s contest at Villa Park crucial in deciding whether, next season, it’s five or six. Liverpool are almost there, but greater intrigue surrounds Villa who, if they finish fifth and win the Europa League, will secure an additional spot for one of Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford, two of whom harbour hopes of overtaking them – and imagine what any of three might do should their talent ID be fortified with Champions League money.

This gives Unai Emery a dilemma: does he go for a win to take Villa over the top, hoping his team find a groove that sustains them through Wednesday’s final? Or does he keep his big hitters fresh for the opportunity of a generation – of several generations – knowing that, if Villa lose, they’ve another chance to resolve things next weekend … away to Manchester City?