“Has been excellent” – Jonathan Woodgate lavishes praise on 25-year-old Liverpool star after win at Aston Villa

BBC pundit Jonathan Woodgate has lauded Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas for his excellent performance in the Reds' 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Tuesday.

The Reds remained hot on the heels of leaders Manchester City, bringing them level on points with the holders, who have a game in hand. Joel Matip and Sadio Mane struck once apiece after Douglas Luiz had given the hosts a shock lead in the third minute.

Talismanic left-back Andrew Robertson was missing in action at Villa Park, allowing Tsimikas a rare start, which the Greek would make the most of.

The Greek international dropped a stormer, denying Ollie Watkins a potential goal with a timely challenge. He reacted the fastest after the striker broke into the box, managing to hook the ball off him with a sublime tackle before Watkins got a shot away.

Woodgate lavished praise on Tsimikas for that vital moment of quality in the match, while also praising Liverpool for signing him. He told BBC Sport (via TBR):

“Tsimikas has been an excellent deputy for Robertson. He is another astute signing by the Liverpool recruitment team. That was a huge challenge."

Tsimikas earned a respectable rating of 7.3 on SofaScore, registering three key passes, 83% pass completion rate and four ground duels, capping off a fine all-round performance.

Signed for £11.75 million from Olympiacos in August 2020, the 25-year-old struggled for game time in his first season but has grown in influence this campaign.

He's still not a first-team regular but has stepped up whenever called upon. The Greek has managed six assists in 24 games this season, including two each in the league and the UEFA Champions League.

If it weren't for Robertson, arguably the best left-back in the game now, Tsimikas might as well have made the left-back spot his own.

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Liverpool are pushing title race down to the wire

We're witnessing a repeat of the 2018-19 Premier League title race, with Liverpool pushing leaders Manchester City down to the wire. After their win on Tuesday night, the Reds have drawn level with the Sky Blues on 83 points but have played a game more.

Pep Guardiola's troops are in action against Wolverhampton on Wednesday night and Liverpool will hope for a slip-up. However, the Wolves are on a torrid run of form right now, going winless in their last four games.

A win for the visitors would take them back to pole position, bringing them another step closer to retaining their crown.