Premier League: Liverpool 3 Aston Villa 0

Liverpool moved up to eighth place on the English Premier League table after comfortably accounting for Aston Villa 3-0 on Monday.

Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool were aided by Pepe Reina’s 100th Premier League clean sheet, but toothless Villa – now just two points and places above the relegation zone – were really undone by an attacking home side that scored two goals in the opening 16 minutes through David Ngog and Ryan Babel.

It all made for a miserable night for Villa manager Gerrard Houllier on his return to Anfield, though he might have hoped for much more against a Liverpool side missing injured trio Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Maxi Rodriguez rounded out the scoring with Liverpool’s third goals ten minutes into the second half, but they could and should have won by more.

Hodgson’s makeshift strike force of Ngog and Babel found its first goal after only 14 minutes, when Villa’s defence struggled to cope with a Liverpool corner and French frontman Ngog headed in.

Martin Skrtel knocked back a Raul Meireles corner and an unmarked Ngog had the easiest of finishes to beat Brad Friedel in the Aston Villa goal.

Dutch forward Babel, who has been played out of position as a wide midfielder for most of his Liverpool career, added the second goal just two minutes later with a well-taken low shot.

Lucas was the provider for Babel’s goal but it still needed a good turn to get past Stephen Warnock.

Liverpool’s supporters were rewarded for their loyalty in the sub-zero temperatures when Ngog laid on the a chance for Maxi to convert their third goal.

The best strike of the night, Maxi thumped the ball into the roof of the net with a classy side-foot shot on the run.