Three points separate Aston Villa and Liverpool on the table, but after tonight's clash, the gap between these two sides felt more like 3,000 miles. Villa are heading to Istanbul with their biggest occasion in a generation on the horizon, brimming with belief and the chance to cap a thrilling campaign with their first silverware since 1996. Champions League football is already secured, and the Europa League final is there for the taking.
Unai Emery's side aren't perfect, but when they hit their stride, they're pure exhilaration. Their pace, power, and relentless pursuit of goals left Liverpool flattened like a turbo-charged steamroller. Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers shared three goals, running riot and showing exactly what this Villa team is capable of.
"Absolutely bril-li-ant!" Emery exclaimed, breaking down the word into syllables for effect. "Fantastic!"
And what of that flattened team across the pitch? Liverpool are a shell of what they're supposed to be. Their play is slow, they meander through patches, and the fact they can still qualify for the Champions League says more about the Premier League's erratic nature than any great achievement on their part.
The numbers are staggering. Liverpool have conceded 52 goals this season—a club record for a 38-game campaign—and this marked defeat number 20 if you include the Community Shield loss on penalties to Crystal Palace. It's a figure that makes a mockery of their status. Champions don't lose 20 games.
Arne Slot knows the buck stops with him. While Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool's owners, maintain their faith, the pressure from fans is reaching boiling point. Extricating himself from this position will require an act worthy of Houdini himself.
"I can understand, at this moment in time, [the fans] don't have a lot of confidence or a lot of feeling that things can be much better next season," Slot acknowledged. "But I think then they are underestimating what a window can do, what a new start can do. We know quite well what to improve. One of the things we have to improve is very, very obvious."
For Liverpool, the road ahead looks daunting. For Aston Villa, the sky's the limit. Which side will you be backing this season?