Aston Villa secured a dominant 4-2 victory over Liverpool in the Premier League on Friday, moving into fourth place with 62 points and guaranteeing qualification for next season's Champions League.

The win leaves Liverpool in fifth place with 59 points, vulnerable to being overtaken by Bournemouth and Brighton in the race for European spots. It was Liverpool's 12th defeat of the season, with only one point from their last three games.

Morgan Rogers gave Villa a first-half lead, but Virgil van Dijk equalized early in the second. Ollie Watkins scored twice, and John McGinn added a brilliant fourth, with van Dijk netting a second in stoppage time.

McGinn told Sky Sports: "We had to get over the line. It allows us to be excited and enjoy Wednesday properly," referring to Villa's Europa League final against Freiburg.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted his side is conceding too many soft goals but denied feeling added pressure. "Villa were the better team and the game went away from us," he said.

Source: www.aljazeera.com