Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 at home on Saturday thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah. The Reds are now five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Manchester City's early defeat was just what Liverpool needed to get them fired up for the game. Nunez got things going at Anfield with a goal after a lightning counterattack in the 20th minute.

Liverpool goalkeeper Kahoimhin Kelleher made some crucial saves to keep his side in the lead, but Salah broke through to score in the 84th minute, sealing the win for Liverpool. It's another great start to the season for the team under new head coach Arne Slot.

Since the Dutchman replaced Jürgen Klopp at the end of the season, they've won 15 of 17 games in all competitions.Liverpool will head into the international break with 28 points from 11 games, while defending champions Manchester City have 23 points.

When the final whistle blew, Slote gave a salute to the delighted Anfield fans, who were celebrating the fact that the post-Klopp era had exceeded even the most optimistic predictions.Liverpool have had a great start to the season, drawing with Arsenal away, beating Brighton and Hove Albion, and beating Bundesliga champions Leverkusen.

Slote was pleased with how the team performed. They played their usual counter-attacking style well, and the defence was solid. Van Dijk, Kelleher and others played well too. However, the Dutchman also said that the team will have to prove themselves again after the international break. A five-point lead isn't much, and the challenge continues.

Liverpool had a bit of a struggle against Villa, but they could have scored more than two goals with their rhythm and deadly counterattacks.

Nunez scored his first goal from a Villa corner kick. When the ball was cleared, Virgil van Dijk's pass allowed Salah to run into Villa's half. He was brought down by Leon Bailey, but the ball found Nunez, who rounded Emiliano Martinez and fired home from a tight angle with his right foot.

Nunez, who is from Uruguay, should have made it 2-0 with a similar finish towards the end of the game.Liverpool broke through the defence again in a stunning move, with Nunez heading the ball in, but it hit the crossbar.

Villa had a good response and, with Alisson out, Kelleher did well to keep out Amadou Onana's header.Kelleher then did a great job of keeping out Diego Carlos' close-range effort.

Villa had a chance to equalise in the second half, but Salah made it 2-0 with his eighth league goal of the season. Salah got his 75th Premier League assist and then scored his 165th Premier League goal. He also became the first player in the top five leagues this season to score or assist in double digits.