Liverpool lost for the second time in three Premier League matches on Monday,slumping to a 3-1 home defeat by Aston Villa. An own goal by Lucas Leiva and a glancing header from Curtis Davies gave Villa a 2-0 interval lead before Fernando Torres pulled one back for Liverpool in the 72nd minute. Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived as Steven Gerrard rashly brought down midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker and Ashley Young beat Pepe Reina from the penalty spot with 15 minutes remaining. With the season a week old Liverpool,runners-up to Manchester United last season,have already lost as many matches as they did in the whole of their previous campaign. It was also their first league defeat at Anfield since December 2007. Villa,who for much of last season looked capable of a top-four finish before running out of steam,were booed off after losing to Wigan Athletic at home last week but manager Martin ONeill was delighted with their response. We put a big effort into the match,we defended very strongly and we broke, he said. Liverpool dominated early but fell behind after 34 minutes when Youngs free kick was headed into his own net by Lucas. Worse was to follow on the stroke of half-time when Davies lost his marker to glance in a corner. The home side piled on the pressure in the second half and Dirk Kuyt hit the post before Torres beat Villa keeper Brad Friedel with a sharp finish. Gerrards rush of blood completed a miserable night for Liverpool as his tackle allowed Young to seal the win.
