When Liverpool took on Aston Villa in the Semi-Final of the FA-Cup yesterday. Liverpool were playing to give their skipper his own fairy tale ending, where he had the chance to win the FA Cup on his last day for the club and also celebrate his birthday on the same day.
Aston Villa put a stop to that idea when they stole the show beating Liverpool 2-1.
During the game neither side dominated possession with the possession stats at 50% each. However, it was Liverpool who set the ball rolling early, on when young talent Philippe Coutinho put the reds in front in the 30th minute.
Although Villa had a game plan and stuck to it, using the height of the likes of Benteke and Jack Grealish to dominate Liverpool in the air. When the ball did hit the ground just six minutes after Liverpool's goal, the ball fell to Beneteke and he scored a well-timed finish.
Over the course of the second half it was Aston Villa who enjoyed more chances at their opposition's goal. Their hard work paid off when Fabian Delph cut inside the Liverpool box and scored on the 54th minute. Liverpool had employed tactical changes during the semi-final fixture, having switched from a back three to a back four and adding Balotelli to the fray.
Liverpool did have their fair share of chances with a Gerrard shot, requiring a clearance of the line from Richardson and Balotelli scored but he was ruled offside.
The match result signalled a resurgence of Aston Villa under Tim Sherwood, where they are now heading to the FA Cup final. Liverpool on the other hand will need to regroup and ensure their League form isn't harmed by the result.
