The Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had called on his players to perform “without fear” but there was the added incentive of gaining ground on Manchester United in the race for second spot after Sir Alex Ferguson's team had been sunk so convincingly at Stamford Bridge.
Benitez, taking the opportunity to tinker ahead of the FA Cup final had chosen Morientes ahead of Robbie Fowler, even though the local man had scored 12 goals against the Villa in 12 games.
Oh that David O'Leary had such selection luxuries. Playing fear-filled football, the West Midlands club are heading for their worst ever finish in the Premiership and in the build-up O'Leary had announced he would listen to offers for the entire squad during the summer. Certainly there was a feeling that Milan Baros might be making his last return to Anfield as a Villa player.
Whether the manager himself will still be there is another question and it wasn't long before the first goal went in that the away fans began the chant of “we want O'Leary out”.
James Milner, the on-loan midfielder from Newcastle who O'Leary probably rates higher than any other in his team, provided the one piece of inspiration in the first half to hint that the pressure could be lifted from his beleaguered manager. Picking the ball up deep in his own half, he evaded a wild challenge from Djimi Traore and a second from Jamie Carragher. Close to the byline he then had the presence of mind to pick out Gareth Barry's run to the far post, but his fellow midfielder made the common mistake of getting too much downward pressure on his header and the ball bounced over the bar, to the relief of Jose Reina.
For all their superiority and clever passing patterns through midfield, Liverpool were unable to add to their single goal before the break, Gerrard coming closest when a daisy cutter from 30 yards was well gathered by Sorensen.
Liverpool seemed to be resting on their laurels as the second half began and were almost punished for some complacency when Jan Kromkamp backpassed to Riena and the goalkeeper's clearance was blocked inside the six-yard box by the buzzing figure of Juan Pablo Angel, on as a half-time substitute for Baros.
Morientes forced a good save from Sorensen on 54 minutes, after the towering figure of Peter Crouch had headed down a sky-high cross by Gerrard, but the growing anxiety around Anfield seemed well justified when Villa equalised on 58 minutes. Aaron Hughes made an intelligent run down the right and his low cross left the Liverpool defence in terror of making a touch. A stumbling Angel also missed the ball, but Barry made up for his earlier slip by finishing coolly.
Villa looked right back in the game, and could have gone ahead a minute later when Sami Hyypia was caught dawdling on the ball just outside his box by Steven Davis's crunching challenge, but Gabriel Agbonlahor couldn't do the tackle justice, blasting wide with the goal at his mercy and, two minutes later, their challenge collapsed.
Alonso sent in a low corner and Gerrard made a surging run that ended up with a neat left-footed volley inside Sorensen's near post. Why Gerrard's run went untracked and why there was no defender guarding the near post were just two of the defensive conundrums Villa supporters were left to ponder.
Gerrard, however, had still kept his best present in the locker for the Kop. On 66 minutes Morientes again found him in space that a real estate agent would die for and this time Gerrard opted for height as well as power, with a 30-yard piledriver that slammed into the top right corner of Sorensen's net, his 62nd goal for his club in 334 appearances.
Riise, who can hit them himself, tried to get in on the act three minutes later but his effort was two feet wide and Fowler, on in place of Crouch, could have kept up his impressive ratio in this particular tie, but scuffed his effort after Gerrard was again the provider from the right. With an FA Cup final still to come, the Liverpool faithful bid farewell to the side,who performed a lap of honour at the end of their last home game, while Villa's fans were left with the consolation of cheering Birmingham's fall into the Championship. It's that bitter sweet time of the year.