JOHN BRADLEY: Aston Villa are very much back in the big time,
three years after dropping out of the top flight and meandering through the Championship,
Dean Smith has guided one of English football's biggest names
back into the Premier League,
and today they will look to cement their place back among the elite
by ending Liverpool's unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
No prizes given out at this stage of the season,
there's no-one relegated at this stage,
there's a long, long way to go.
That's Douglas Luiz, who gave Aston Villa a major scare just before the game.
That's Wesley, Sadio Mane with the interception,
it falls nicely!
And Alisson has to make an important early save to deny El Ghazi.
GARY: Not quite sure how he bundles his way through,
Virgil van Dijk just stands aside and lets Sadio Mane try to deal with it.
But he doesn't really deal with it that well.
JOHN: Lallana, Henderson, Alexander-Arnold.
The stand up, and header away by Bjorn Engels.
In it goes again - Mane!
Oh, big chance, first chance for Liverpool.
GARY: It's a lovely ball by Jordan Henderson, he is onside, Sadio Mane.
As I say, he's just a little off-balance and can't direct it into the bottom corner.
How many times do we see sides failing to deal with that second ball
delivered so quickly into the area after the initial clearance?
Douglas Luiz with the short free kick for McGinn.
Sadio Mane pleads his innocence.
But it was more of a shrug than a complaint.
Four on the line.
And the man coming from deep is Trezeguet, who scores.
Puts it beyond Alisson, it's been a really good start for Aston Villa.
GARY: Can see Trezeguet takes up a good position there,
it's a tight one, lovely ball in,
and Villa are the first team to really exploit Liverpool's high line from free kicks.
JOHN: It looks like Virgil van Dijk has played him on,
don't think there will be any problem with this whatsoever.
There you go. There was no way that one was being chalked off.
And Trezeguet has the goal.
Lovren.
Robertson.
Now Mane.
Oh, lovely ball - flag's up, Firmino's goal won't count.
The grimace from Roberto Firmino.
GARY: First time Mane's really had a bit of space to operate.
Oh, I don't know about.
JOHN: We are on shoulder blades here, Gary. Look at that, that's a goal.
If that's what they're coming down with, that's a goal.
How's your luck with VAR at the moment, Liverpool? Having some rotten luck.
The noise really does boom from that Holte End and it's been booming today.
Liverpool trying to silence the crowd now though, and get back on level terms.
Four inside the area for Mane, Tyrone Mings with the half-stop.
Firmino and Salah left it for each other, here's Alexander-Arnold.
And Mane coming round the back!
And Tom Heaton makes a very good stop, getting in the way of the Liverpool man.
Guilbert will get the ball away.
It's McGinn, they have a runner there and they've broken the offside trap.
Alisson again, so, so good and so aware of the danger.
GARY: Great positioning from the goalkeeper,
absolutely outstanding from both keepers.
At the other end, this is a great save by Heaton.
Sadio Mane thinks all he needs to do is get his head on it and put it into the empty net,
but Heaton gets back across, spreads his body as big as he can make it.
JOHN: Firmino, lovely step.
Lallana, Robertson, tees up so many goals for Liverpool...
Not this time, Salah did get there.
GARY: Well, Firmino is probing and pressing trying to find an opening,
but in the end it's the ball to the far post, Salah just gets a little on it.
JOHN: Palmed away by Heaton, who was a little late in reacting.
Liverpool get a corner out of it.
Here they come again, Origi tries to dummy it.
And Origi!
On the turn.
Well, they're working hard to get back into this game.
Nothing at all has gone for them. That probably would have been chalked off.
Bounced up and hit his hand.
But here's Sadio Mane.
Horrible slip from the Liverpool man.
GARY: Just as he's about to pull the trigger there I think he just loses his standing foot,
and just slips at the vital moment.
JOHN: Hourihane had a bit of Sadio Mane's shirt there.
Mane comes away with the ball, Origi and Firmino wait in the middle.
Firmino.
Oh, big chance for Liverpool - not taken.
Brilliant ball for Adam Lallana.
GARY: He gets it off the side of his foot, you just want to meet it square on,
but a really positive run from Lallana.
JOHN: Nakamba. Lallana has never stopped working today.
Alexander-Arnold can't get there.
A goal now would end Liverpool's day, and it's Hourihane...
And he decided to be unselfish.
And Liverpool survive.
GARY: It was Van Dijk's clearance in the end, but again Alisson does really well.
He gambles a little, Trent, to win it, and then they always have a man over, Villa,
on that overlap.
JOHN: Alexander-Arnold.
Now what's he got for Liverpool!
Just wouldn't come round.
GARY: He thought about it, having a pop with his left foot.
In the end he decides to go for it,
and it's not a bad effort from the youngster, on his 100th appearance.
JOHN: That's Mane, round the back, Robertson!
It's always Liverpool, it's always late, never write them off.
Andrew Robertson riding to the rescue this time.
GARY: It's the Scottish full-back that makes the difference, but it's a wonderful pass.
Sadio Mane, he just delays and delays and delays.
But then he picks out the right pass, it's a really good, deep cross.
Robertson sneaking in at the far post, I'm not sure who lets him go.
It's El Ghazi not really tracking the run.
And Aston Villa, for all their stout defensive efforts,
El Ghazi has maybe let them down a little bit there.
But all credit to Robertson, what a run and what a position for your left-back to be in.
JOHN: Tees it up towards Divock Origi.
It spins loose for Oxlade-Chamberlain, still got it.
Goes down, Liverpool have the advantage. What a moment this could be.
GARY: He does well, Oxlade-Chamberlain, never gives it up,
he's direct, he's strong, he's powerful.
JOHN: 93 minutes have elapsed, this is a chance to win the game.
Robertson's there, Alexander-Arnold's there.
It's Alexander-Arnold, and the wall does its job.
GARY: Took a deflection.
JOHN: Well done, Marvellous Nakamba.
Liverpool load up the penalty area.
There's a minute of stoppage time remaining.
Alexander-Arnold's corner -
oh, it's down and it's in!
It's Sadio Mane, and Liverpool's near-post corner works for them again!
And it's Sadio Mane, who's had one of his hardest days in a Liverpool shirt,
who comes up trumps.
GARY: I said about these near-post corners that they should maybe just stand them up
for Virgil van Dijk to head them in at the far post,
but on this occasion it's worked to perfection.
Sadio Mane, as you rightly say, John, he's had a tough old afternoon,
but he's kept going, and when you keep going, you get rewards.
And the reward is the goal, and for Liverpool, surely, the three points.
JOHN: Liverpool's man of the season so far,
even when things are going against him,
he's still there and still fighting.
It's another astonishing victory for Liverpool Football Club,
it's another astonishing late, late show,
trailing 1-0 with three minutes to go,
they still believe they can win, and they do win.
Andy Robertson with the equaliser, Sadio Mane with the winner,
three more points for Jürgen's Reds at the top of the Premier League table.
Jürgen Klopp all smiles once again.