Liverpool v Aston Villa player ratings: Trent Alexander-Arnold 8, Mohamed Salah 7; Douglas Luiz 4, Bertrand Traore 4

Reds bounce back at Anfield in boost for Real Madrid meeting

LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6: The Brazilian should have done much better for Villa’s goal. He was safe enough otherwise and his distribution was good. PA

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8: The 22-year-old was excellent on the ball and went close with a free kick before popping up for the crucial winning goal. He had some tough moments defensively but rose to the challenge. EPA

Nathaniel Phillips - 5: The centre back’s lack of pace was exposed by Watkins but he held his own in the tackle. He is a reassuring presence in the air but not so much on the ground. AP

Ozan Kabak - 4: The Turk looked nervous from the first minute and gave the ball away before the Villa goal. He never regained authority. He was replaced by Shaqiri with a minute to go. AP

Andrew Robertson - 7: The Scot has suffered a dip in form recently but he was close to his best against Villa. His shot led to the equaliser and his driving runs were effective again and again. Reuters

Fabinho - 7: The Brazilian set the tone for the midfield, sparking attacks from deep and cutting out any threat. He produced a composed and clever display. PA

Georginio Wijnaldum - 5: The Dutchman was wasteful in possession and lacked his usual vigour. His touch was too heavy when he could have freed Salah in the area. Taken off for Thiago with 20 minutes left. Reuters

James Milner - 6: The 35-year-old no longer has the strongest engine but his experience and workrate were impressive. He provided leadership and was a calming presence. PA

Mohamed Salah - 7: The Egyptian seemed a bit unnerved after missing an early chance but he regained his composure to score the equaliser. He again showed off his knack of being in the right place at the critical moment. Reuters

Roberto Firmino - 7: The Brazilian was lively and his movement worried the defence. He was unfortunate to have a goal disallowed for offside earlier in the move. He made way for Mane with 15 minutes left. Reuters

Diogo Jota - 6: The Portuguese was a threat throughout but should have hit the target with a header from a corner. He was not as clinical as usual. Reuters

SUBS: Thiago Alcantara - 7: The 29-year-old replaced Wijnaldum with 20 minutes left and made the most of his time on the pitch. His passing was precise and he forced a great save from Martinez just seconds before the winning goal. PA

Sadio Mane - 4: The Senegalese joined the action with 15 minutes to go in place of Firmino but never got to the pace of the game. He was loose with possession as his team tried to turn up the pressure. PA

Xherdan Shaqiri - 6: It looked like another fruitless cameo for the Swiss when he replaced Kabak with a minute to go but he managed to influence the game by playing a part in the lead-up to the winning goal. EPA

ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez - 6: The Argentinian made a spectacular save from Thiago just seconds before Alexander-Arnold scored the winner. He might feel he could have palmed Robertson’s shot into a less dangerous area on the equaliser. EPA

Matty Cash - 5: The 23-year-old showed plenty of enterprise but had a tendency to get dragged out of position. He was relieved to see Firmino’s goal ruled out for offside after failing to cut out the diagonal pass in the build-up. Getty

Ezri Konsa - 6: The 23-year-old was solid and produced a number of blocks and challenges to stop Liverpool attacks. He could have scored, too, but sent a free header directly at Alisson. Getty

Tyrone Mings - 5: The centre back was lucky to get away with letting the ball slip under his boot and he can be a liability when he tries to kick with his weaker right foot. He is a battler, though, and proved it with a number of clearances. AP

Matt Targett - 6: The left back acquitted himself well against Salah. His set-piece delivery that created a chance for Konsa was excellent and he looked a threat going forward. AFP

Douglas Luiz - 4: The Brazilian was pushed into a more upfield role than usual and had little influence on the game. He allowed his compatriot Fabinho too much time and space in the midfield. Getty

Marvelous Nakamba - 7: The Zimbabwean shielded the defence effectively and nicked the ball from Firmino just as the striker looked set to shoot. He was good in possession, too. Surprisingly replaced by Barkley with 24 minutes left. AFP

Bertrand Traore - 4: The winger was peripheral and disappointing. He gave the ball away much too often, especially when attempting crossfield passes. Substituted with 22 minutes remaining when El Ghazil came on. AP

John McGinn - 6: The Scot provided a delicate pass to Watkins for the goal and his muscular presence worried Liverpool. He dropped deeper when Barkley came on and stopped having an impact on the game. Getty

Trezeguet - 6: The Egyptian went close to restoring Villa’s lead in the second half when he hit the inside of the post. He worked hard until limping off in the 82nd minute to be replaced by Ramsey. AP

Ollie Watkins - 7: The striker was a real handful. He took his goal well, pressed hard and won the ball in the air. With proper supply and support he might have had much more success. Reuters

Ross Barkley - 4: The midfielder replaced Nakamba in the 66th minute and had chances to stamp his authority on the match. He shot tamely at Alisson and dithered on the edge of the box and allowed another opportunity to disappear. AFP

Anwar El Ghazi - 4: The Dutchman came on for Traore and was as disappointing as the man he replaced. He did very little in his 22 minutes on the pitch. Reuters

Jacob Ramsey - 5: The 19-year-old was sent on when Trezeguet was injured with eight minutes left. He attempted to be positive but might have done more to put Alexander-Arnold under pressure before the winning goal. AFP

Manager Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool can carry the confidence from their 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa into Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final return against Real Madrid, where they will need to be "perfect."

Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a stoppage-time winner as the champions fought back to beat Villa and end a dismal run of six league defeats at their Anfield home.

They have work to do to reach the semi-finals of Europe's elite club competition after losing 3-1 at Real in the first leg of their quarter-final last week, but Klopp backed his side to build on the performance against Villa.

"Whatever we can... we'll take. That's clear. We need a perfect performance on Wednesday if we want to have a chance only - just for a chance," Klopp said.

"I think the way we played and the way Real played there, it doesn't look promising but the good thing is we can play better. That would change the game already, but we have to. Real don't come here and think they're already through. It'll be a tough one, but we'll give it a try I can promise - and that's the only thing we can say."

Ollie Watkins fired the visitors ahead with a shot which squirmed through goalkeeper Alisson on 43 minutes.

Liverpool equalised when Mohamed Salah headed into an empty net after Emiliano Martinez parried Andy Robertson's cross, before Alexander-Arnold's late strike clinched the points.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.