“You’ve got the get through the quartet” – Alan Shearer pin-points four key players in the Aston Villa victory

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Alan Shearer pin-pointed four key players in our victory over Aston Villa and provided some detailed analysis on their role within the game.

The former Newcastle star selected Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as the most important defensive stars within the squad.

It’s often the attackers who are given the limelight but the analysis from the Premier League’s record goal scorer highlights the defensive stability provided by the four men.

READ MORE: “It was what we expected” – Virgil van Dijk gave his thoughts on Aston Villa following Liverpool’s 1-0 victory

The 51-year-old said: “To get through them, you’ve got the get through the quartet of the two midfielders and two centre-halves and they make it very difficult.

“The two in midfield, Fabinho and Henderson, give them so much protection and then they set them off on the front foot.

“van Dijk and Matip never lost a single header today, all game, in fact Aston Villa never had a shot on target in the whole game and that’s the first time that’s happened in two years and it was partly down to all those in the middle”.

To reduce Steven Gerrard’s team to zero shots on target is a big plus for our defensive unit and if we can manage that every time we’re on the pitch, it’ll be hard to lose any games.

Being so tough to beat means we only have to take one of the usually many chances that are created and this weekend that came through Mo Salah on the spot.

It was a big win and let’s hope we can keep the momentum up in the congested festive period.

You can watch the post-match analysis by Shearer on Match of the Day via BBC iPlayer (at 27:20).

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