Unanswered goals from Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert secured Liverpool a 2-0 victory from their trip to Aston Villa this afternoon.

Italian striker Borini broke the deadlock during the first half when he volleyed in, before Lambert made sure of the outcome 11 minutes from time.

Here, Sports Mole has looked back over the contest to determine if the result was a fair one, or whether the scoreline flattered the away side.

Match statistics

ASTON VILLA
Shots: 15
On target: 4
Possession: 48%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 13

LIVERPOOL
Shots: 12
On target: 5
Possession: 52%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 11

Was the result fair?

While Villa had some decent spells of possession, they found genuine goalscoring opportunities hard to come by. Liverpool, on the other hand, were clinical when it mattered and in the Premier League, that is essentially all that mattered. For all their endeavour, Villa deserved none of the spoils.

Villa's performance

Villa Park is a gloomy place to be at the moment and it's understandable why the supporters are so frustrated. On the pitch, with the likes of Ashley Westwood, they had some decent stints with the ball, but the final pass was often lacking.

Meanwhile, further back, on too many occasions they gifted Liverpool the ball in some dangerous areas, which is where the away side's second goal came from. They seem to be a group of players that are very low on confidence and it's looking increasingly likely that Paul Lambert is not going to be able to reverse things.

One plus was the performance of debutant Carles Gil as a substitute. The Spaniard looked to be a good technician, kept things simple and he often burst into the area when the ball was played out wide.

Liverpool's performance

Brendan Rodgers will know that his side has a long way to go until they reach the heights of last season, but they are at least moving in the right direction at present.

In an attacking sense, there was a fluidity about Liverpool, with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Borini causing problems with their pace. Then, when they did lose the ball, they hunted in packs from the front and forced their opponents into making mistakes.

Now unbeaten in eight, it would be easy to get carried away. Yet, there were occasions when Villa got into the final third a little easily and but for some poor decision making, they may well have created some good openings. Still, three points is all important and Liverpool claimed them.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Jordan Henderson: In a game of few standout players, we've gone for Liverpool's midfield man. His energy seemed to lift his teammates and it also brought about the first goal as he burst forward and then picked out Borini with a pinpoint cross.

Biggest gaffe

Sterling can be pleased with his overall performance, but he really should have had a goal to celebrate. His electric pace took him away from the Villa defence, but when he needed composure to beat Brad Guzan, his chipped effort was easily saved by the Villa goalkeeper, leaving the Liverpool winger to look embarrassed. Thankfully for him, it didn't prove to be a costly mistake.

Referee performance

The biggest credit that can be paid to Mark Clattenburg is that this reporter had to look up who was the referee at the end of this encounter. He kept the game flowing by enforcing the advantage rule on numerous occasions and didn't look to make any headlines, which made for a good game of football.

What next?

Villa: Lambert's men will turn their attention to the fourth round of the FA Cup next Sunday when Championship high-flyers Bournemouth travel to Villa Park.

Liverpool: As for the Reds, they take on Chelsea in the semi-final of the League Cup on Tuesday. Then, on Saturday, they play host to Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup.