Liverpool cruised to a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in their first Premier League game after club football resumed as Jurgen Klopp had a grin on his face after his side climbed three places in the table to sit sixth now. This season has been tough for Liverpool as they are clearly underperforming, with title race already out of their hands. Injuries have a played a major role in their downfall, and so has their record signing and misfiring striker Darwin Nunez.
But there was some optimism in that win for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp, with academy player Stefan Bajcetic coming-off the bench to score and seal all three points. A number of injuries to key-players have paved the way for the 18-year-old to feature more frequently this season, and he looks on course to convince his manager that he is ready for regular first-team football.
Jurgen Klopp hails ‘genetically’ talented Stefan Bajcetic
Liverpool returned to Premier League action post the World Cup with Aston Villa game, and the situation with injuries had no change whatsoever. Moreover, they took a beating in their last game against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 which ended their bid to defend the trophy. Jurgen Klopp needed a win at all costs against Villa, which was secured by his boys.
However, the Reds unleashed themselves against the Midlanders as Mohamed Salah put his side into the lead right after fives minutes. A brilliant pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold was received by his counterpart Andy Robertson on the right wing, who slid in a perfect cross for Salah to fire in the opening goal. Villa, who were looking for back-to-back league wins under new manager Unai Emery tried responding, only for Virgil van Dijk to slot in Liverpool’s second.
But the Villans did pull back one in the 59th minute through Ollie Watkins, and were all over the Reds looking for an equalizer. In came Bajcetic to calm down the nerves of the game in the 79th minute. Klopp’s change paid-off as the teenager right away got on the scoresheet scoring Liverpool’s third of the night from close range. Bajcetic pounced on from a rebound from Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen off a Darwin Nunez shot, and showed great composure to round off a defender to slot in the shot at the right time.
Bajcetic’s goals secured all three points for Liverpool, who went from ninth to sixth in the Premier League standings with the win over Villa. Bajcetic, son of former midfielder Srdjan Bajcetic, meanwhile received high praise from his manager Klopp, who told Amazon Prime:
“I think he [Stefan Bajcetic] showed what he can do. He’s cheeky as hell and is not worried about anything. He just plays football and he can do that exceptionally well. He had a football-playing father so the genes are there but also the attitude, awareness and match intelligence. It’s a big pleasure to work with these boys.”
Stefan Bajcetic has received frequent first-team football this season, featuring in 7 games across all competitions for the Reds. With the calendar getting tight for Liverpool, the wonderkid will certainly see more of game time with Liverpool in the second-half of the season. While Liverpool are also tipped to bring a midfielder or two in the January market, it seems Bajcetic has just done enough to impress Klopp and continue his first-team journey.