Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where the final fixture in Matchweek 25 could be won and lost.
Player analysis: Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa)
Unbeaten in 12 matches at home, a run that stretches all the way back to August, Aston Villa will feel they have what it takes to damage Liverpool’s title hopes.
The Reds are yet to lose an away match under Arne Slot, but they did exhibit signs of weariness and nerves across their last two Premier League outings.
Everton snatched a deserved point late on in the Merseyside derby, and on Sunday Liverpool toiled badly in the second half of their 2-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It was the first time on record (since 2003/04) that Liverpool failed to register a single attempt in a half of football at Anfield, losing that second-half shot count 10-0.
The leaders know they must perform better on Wednesday night as they take on a talented Unai Emery side that has taken points off them in two of their last four meetings.
Has Rashford rediscovered his mojo?
Based on his first half of competitive action in a Villa shirt, it looks as if Marcus Rashford is going to enjoy playing for Emery’s side.
Against an Ipswich Town outfit who were down to 10 men helped, but the loanee forward was in the thick of the action throughout an exhilarating second period.
Rashford’s 62 touches were the most he has EVER recorded in a Premier League half of football.
Left-back Ian Maatsen (18 passes) and Youri Tielemans (eight passes) gave the ball to him more than anyone else, in a cameo performance that showed plenty of promise.
It was Rashford’s sublime curling free-kick, crashing off the underside of the bar, that set up Ollie Watkins for Villa’s equaliser.
The wide forward also drew a fabulous save out of Alex Palmer with a delightful swerving effort from the angle of the 18-yard box too.
Rashford was exceptionally bright, completing three of six attempted dribbles, one of which bamboozled the Ipswich defence late on to almost create a winning goal.
He also fired off four shots in a runout that lasted just over 50 minutes.
Overall, Rashford registered levels of productivity that have been missing from his game for a long time, as indicated below.
And on a wider scale, no top-flight player on record since 2008/09 has replicated the exact same numbers as Rashford delivered in that second half on Saturday.
Rashford's stats v Ipswich
| Stat | Total | Notes |
| Touches | 62 | Most ever in PL half |
|---|---|---|
| Duels won | 7 | Most in a PL half since Aug 2017 v Swansea |
| Chances created | 4 | Most in a PL half since Dec 2018 v Southampton |
| Touches in opp. box | 8 | Most in a PL half since Jan 2024 v Spurs |
How can Rashford hurt the leaders?
Liverpool have not contained Rashford especially well down the years.
He has scored seven times against them in 19 appearances, including five goals from 15 matches in the Premier League.
All those strikes were in home matches, meaning Rashford has not scored more times in front of his own fans than he has against Liverpool.
Excluding penalties, he is fourth on the Premier League all-time list of home scorers against Liverpool too.
Home goals v Liverpool (excluding penalties)
| Player | Total |
| Sergio Aguero | 7 |
|---|---|
| Thierry Henry | 6 |
| Jamie Vardy | 6 |
| Marcus Rashford | 5 |
The 27-year-old seems to like playing against Trent Alexander-Arnold in particular, who has been caught out by his runs in behind on several occasions.
In 2022/23 Rashford scored from a turnover, racing away from the stricken right-back who was caught out of position.
In 2019/20 from a similar transition he was left free at the far post to score, with Alexander-Arnold once again unable to recover a goal-side position.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool are more pragmatic by nature than under Jurgen Klopp, but even so, the Reds right-back will need to be extra prudent with the positions he occupies.
He must get forward of course, but Rashford will be like a coiled spring, waiting for possession to change hands so that he can explode into the empty space vacated by Alexander-Arnold.
Having run off Alexander-Arnold in the past, Villa's new loanee will back himself to do it again.
Playing for a team like Villa should in theory help Rashford run onto even more passes in behind opposition rearguards.
Inspired by Tielemans (17 through-balls) and Morgan Rogers (13) they are always looking to slide penetrative passes beyond the backline.
The Villa duo two are ranked second and sixth in the division for through-balls.
Most PL through balls 24/25
| Team | Total |
| Aston Villa | 63 |
|---|---|
| Newcastle | 63 |
| Chelsea | 59 |
| Man City | 58 |
Flaws remain
Liverpool will also be aware that it was not a perfect debut by Rashford last weekend.
Rashford lost possession 16 times, the most of any of their players, despite featuring for only one half.
He also made only 86 intensive runs, with Watkins and Rogers making 504 between them over the course of the whole match.
Rashford did attempt three tackles, but failed to register a "pressure", with fellow attackers Rogers (19), and Watkins (18) doing the bulk of the closing down.
Emery will demand a little more of Rashford in this contest when Villa do not have the ball, and Liverpool for their part may look to take advantage of these weaknesses in his game.
Can Villa’s set-pieces make the difference?
Crystal Palace are the only team to have scored more set-piece goals than Villa, who will be looking to build on their 10 so far.
They have good imagination over dead-ball situations, and an expert taker in the form of Tielemans, who leads the way with four set-piece assists.
Set-piece creativity stats 24/25
| Assists from set-pieces | Chances created from set-pieces | ||
| Youri Tielemans | 4 | Andreas Pereira | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bukayo Saka | 3 | Youri Tielemans | 23 |
| Elliot Anderson | 3 | Leif Davis | 20 |
| Marcus Tavernier | 3 | Declan Rice | 18 |
Slot’s side are not poor at defending these situations, but four of their five set-play concessions have come from free-kicks.
In their 2-2 draw at Goodison Park, Beto’s quick thinking run caught Ibrahima Konate flat-footed, and goals from Jacob Greaves and Fabian Schar also caught Liverpool on the hop from dead-ball situations in recent weeks.
Emery’s men will need to play extremely well to take any points from this match, raising their current levels in 2025 to do so.
A further dip in form from Liverpool may also be required for an upset to happen.
Yet in the shape of Rashford, Tielemans, Watkins and Rogers, Villa certainly have individuals who are good enough to pose major problems for the leaders.
