"He’s been a real handful" - Jamie Carragher heaps praise on Aston Villa star after his performance against Liverpool

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has praised Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins for his display against the Reds on Tuesday.

Carragher was speaking on SkySports after watching his former side secure a hard-fought 2-1 away win over the Villans.

''He’s been a real handful tonight,. Every time that ball goes up. No defender has had a free header. Great body strength. He’s been bullying those centre-backs about, especially Matip, who has found it – not difficult – but it’s been a real fight every time it’s gone up to the frontman. It’s certainly not been easy for the centre-backs.''

Ollie Watkins was helpless to prevent Steven Gerrard's side from falling to a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on home turf.

They took an early lead through Douglas Luiz in the third minute but surrendered the lead when Joel Matip equalized three minutes later.

Sadio Mane scored the winning goal in the 65th minute when he flicked home Luis Diaz' cross with a deft header.

Watkins has impressed for Aston Villa since joining the club from Brentford in the summer of 2020.

The 26-year-old joined the west Midlands outfit for a then-club-record fee of £28m. He has proven his value by scoring 26 goals and providing six assists in 73 matches in all competitions.

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Liverpool's victory over Aston Villa kept them in the title race

The Reds claimed a 2-1 away victory over Villa

Liverpool and Manchester City are currently engaged in an exhilarating title race that could go down to the wire.

The Mancunians, however, have an edge and came into the midweek fixtures holding a three-point advantage and a better goal difference.

Anything other than a win for Liverpool against Aston Villa would have realistically ended their Premier League hopes and they got off to a disastrous start at Villa Park.

However, they ultimately turned things around, with Thiago Alcantara's introduction at the hour mark helping them gain a foothold in the game.

Despite the win, Jurgen Klopp's side do not have their destiny in their hands and need Manchester City to lose one of their remaining three games.

The defending champions will be in action away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday before traveling to the capital to face West Ham United four days later. They will wrap up their campaign when they host Aston Villa on the final day.

For Liverpool, the FA Cup final against Chelsea takes precedence this weekend. An away game against Southampton in the league will follow, while they host Wolves on the final day before battling Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final at the end of this month.