Sadio Mane believes Aston Villa are the team that have pushed Liverpool the hardest this season after the Reds grabbed a last minute winner at Villa Park to pick up all three Premier League points with a 2-1 win.
Aston Villa started positively against Liverpool and took the lead on the 21 minute mark when Trezeguet finished with a volley following a John McGinn free kick.
As the clock ticked down Aston Villa kept Liverpool at bay and as the game entered the final five minutes it seemed the hosts would record a valuable win.
However, Andrew Robertson found space at the back post with three minutes left to head Liverpool level, while Mane then struck deep into stoppage time to claim all three points and retain their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
For Mane, Liverpool deserved to take three points from the fixture, but the attacker admits that Aston Villa pushed his team hard.
"Today was not our best performance, but we deserved the three points", Mane said post match on Sky Sports.
"It was a perfect delivery from the corner and in the end I was even a bit lucky the ball went in.
"Aston Villa have been the team that pushed us harder so far, that’s why this is the best league in the world.
"Every single game can be like this one", the Liverpool attacker added.
The defeat means that Aston Villa remain on eleven points from ten Premier League games after victory over the league leaders slipped through their fingers.
