A winner born of disorder and carelessness still pointed to a profound distinction between these clubs. In the third minute of stoppage time, Fernando Torres notched his 50th Premier League goal for Liverpool with a composure entirely unrelated to the haphazard build-up. Aston Villa might have won, but they do not possess a predator of such ruthless reliability.
His strike on a freezing night was born of chaos that included a slip by the Villa defender Richard Dunne and a pass by Yossi Benayoun that deflected off Gabriel Agbonlahor, but Torres lives in his own micro-climate of calm. The outcome was faintly unjust since Villa had been resilient while also posing a danger to Liverpool, but it is no accident when someone of the Spaniard's abilities transforms a game.
It is conceivable, too, that this goal may alter Liverpool's campaign. The side now has consecutive League wins for the first time since September. Conversely, Villa have endured a second consecutive loss, following the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal. The table has not been transformed into a thrilling document, but Liverpool stand seventh, with both Villa and Manchester City a paltry two points ahead of them, although the latter have a game in hand.
Rafael Benítez's complete faith that the club will qualify for the Champions League may be even more widely shared by Liverpool fans and the fear of such a recovery will seep into the minds of clubs who hope to usurp the Anfield side. This was a win, after all, that could so easily have eluded Liverpool on an occasion when achievement was hard to come by.
On the slippery surface, putting together a coordinated passage of play was hard enough and subtle moves looked inconceivable at times, especially when the snow fell persistently before the interval. Allowances were being made, with the referee, Lee Probert, taking no action other than to award a foul when an early challenge on Villa's James Milner by Lucas might have met with a booking on a sunny afternoon.
The sides, too, had to make adjustments. Direct play was instantly appealing to anyone who realised they would not be blamed for refusing to take the risk of being imaginative. Fittingly, the best opportunity of the first half came from a set-piece. Milner struck a deep corner to the unmarked Stewart Downing and his volley smacked against the outstretched right arm of the goalkeeper Pepe Reina in the 30th minute.
Liverpool should have been presented with a simple opportunity to score, but Probert did not award a penalty when, eight minutes from half-time, a rash Dunne made contact with Dirk Kuyt instead of the ball. Whatever the limitations imposed by the weather, the endeavour was unrestricted for two teams at a critical stage in the programme.
If the fate of Liverpool continues to be uncertain then Villa's campaign is also enigmatic. Martin O'Neill's team depends on a resilient defence, yet three goals were conceded for the first time on Sunday. There, Cesc Fábregas was a forerunner of Torres in his demonstration of an expertise that Villa lack. Against such a backdrop, the limitations of O'Neill's attackers seem a more troublesome matter they had appeared until now. Liverpool were fractionally more incisive and Benítez had been bold enough to restore Kuyt, an attacker, in place of Fabio Aurélio as his sole alteration to the starting line-up that had beaten Wolves at the weekend.
There were moments of surprise from Liverpool and Brad Friedel did well to react sharply and tip Steven Gerrard's drive over the bar in the 17th minute. The visitors had more of a capacity to shape the play in defiance of the elements. Villa were again pinned down for a spell following the interval, but a breakthrough for Benítez's men was elusive with Alberto Aquilani a little high with the attempt to dip a free-kick into the top corner.
Villa were being curbed then and some fans might have begun to remember how the side had been incapable of staying in the top four during the second half of the programme last season. O'Neill's reaction to that had been a sensible one. It was improbable that a leading striker would sign for the club even if the fee could be afforded and the Villa manager had concentrated on upgrading the defence.
That policy has been vindicated and, last night, the benefits were apparent for a while. Having kept Liverpool at bay, Villa had a short spell when they might easily have broken the deadlock. Agbonlahor outpaced Jamie Carragher to force a save from Reina and at the Milner corner that ensued Carew headed fractionally wide. Both managers made substitutions that signalled an attacking intent, but the truly devastating forward had been lurking on the field all along.
