“Premier League Showdown: Liverpool Aims to Extend Lead Against Struggling Aston Villa”

**Liverpool vs. Aston Villa: Premier League – Live Updates** Join us for live updates from the 8pm GMT kick-off at Anfield. Earlier today, in a surprising turn of events, Brighton & Hove Albion defeated Manchester City 2-1 in a match that concluded at 5:30pm. This marks the fourth consecutive defeat for the reigning champions, a streak not seen since the spring of 2006 when was at the helm and was just starting his career. That unfortunate run extended to six losses before they managed to turn things around, only to face another four defeats shortly after. While City’s upcoming fixtures against Spurs, Feyenoord, and Liverpool may seem daunting, the Reds now have the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points. Liverpool's manager has noted that the team has been slow to start in many matches this season, often finding their rhythm in the second half. He acknowledged the need for improvement, stating, “There are many things we can do better … the threshold is quite high for us … I see that certain things are done better by other teams than us … you wonder which ones? … that’s what we talk about during the week … hopefully we keep improving … it’s necessary in a difficult league like this.” He also commented on the tactical challenges posed by opponents, particularly referencing Xabi Alonso’s approach with his team. “Every team that comes here feels they need a special plan … the good thing for us is that’s mostly the first time they play it, so you could argue it’s not an advantage for them to do that … but they feel it’s an advantage … in the first half we have to adjust a bit … then it’s a disadvantage for us that we have only worked together for three or four months, because if you work with a team for three or four years, you’ve faced every system … everyone just knows what to do … sometimes now we need half-time for that … but it’s a matter of time before we’re adjusting faster than that.” Stay tuned for updates as the match unfolds!