Thiago's Individual Highlights Vs Aston Villa Show He's Getting Back To His World Class Self

Thiago's highlights for Liverpool vs Aston Villa in the FA Cup prove he's oozing with talent and is finally getting back to his best.

The Spaniard returned from a knee injury over the festive period and has gradually been eased into action.

He replaced captain Jordan Henderson at half-time last night with the scores at 1-1, but it didn't stay that way for long.

Thiago dictated the play against an incredibly young and inexperienced Villa side, showcasing his close control and insane passing range.

It took just 15 minutes for Liverpool to go ahead in the second half and a lot of that is down to Thiago.

Fans reacted to the Spaniard's performance and they think it's vital he now stays fit for the rest of the season.

Villa were forced to field a team of academy players due to a coronavirus outbreak in the first-team bubble.

A relatively strong Liverpool side went ahead through Sadio Mane and it looked like a long evening was in store.

But just before the first half came to a close, 17-year-old Louie Barry found himself free on goal and slotted past Caoimhín Kelleher to make it 1-1.

They were good value for their equaliser after a battling display.

Despite making it 1-1, the academy graduates couldn't hold out and Gini Wijnaldum restored the advantage.

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Mane notched a second and Mohamed Salah got in on the act within five minutes to give the Reds a comfortable 4-1 win.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised Villa's team, which had a combined age of 18 years and 294 days, for showing character.

"It's the same, pretty much - the boys did really well, the kids of Aston Villa did really well, were organised and all that stuff," he told Liverpool's official website.

"It was clear. We scored an early goal, a nice one, and then we didn't play quick enough anymore, didn't move fast enough, didn't play the right spaces. These are football problems and we solved the football problems with football in the second half.

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"So, I'm really fine with it. It was a tricky one. I've never before had this kind of challenge in my life, that you have no idea who you're playing against - absolutely no idea; that you prepare a meeting and then you can throw all the preparation, all the videos in the bin and then you have to start new.

"That's football and academy players are good players."

Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Aston Villa, Football, Thiago, FA Cup, Thiago Alcantara

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a journalist for SPORTbible and he has previous experience with Manchester United. He has spoken to some of the biggest names in sport including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, WWE COO Triple H and WWE legend The Undertaker. May or may not do a decent impression of Jamie Carragher.

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