Joe Mercer's Villa taste League action for only the second time in 1963 and for the first time in four weeks as their ten game unbeaten run comes to a crashing end at Anfield. As a result, Villa - who fail to score for the second successive game - make it ten wins, seven draws and seven defeats in twenty four division one games so far in 1962-63.

Villa lose for the first time in 11 games but the real shock is that, hot on the heels of having to play Sunderland, Bristol City and Blackpool on snow, they are required to play at a ground that had not hosted football since 22 December and which had been deemed still unplayable for a cup fixture just 48 hours before. 

Unsurprisingly, this hastily arranged league fixture - the only one to go ahead - saw Villa struggle on an unprepared and unfamiliar surface. The damage was done in the first 30 minutes as Liverpool's familiarity paid dividends and Villa were unable to play their game. The fact that Liverpool leapfrogged Villa to take fifth place rubbed snow into the wounds.

Villa's recent fixture calendar looked thus:

22 Dec 1962, Villa v Manchester City, abandoned after 48 minutes due to fog

26 Dec 1962, Villa v Liverpool, Called off due to frozen pitch

29 Dec 1962, Liverpool v Villa, Called off due to frozen pitch

5 Jan 1963, Bristol City v Villa, Called off due to snow

12 Jan 1963, Blackpool v Villa, Called off due to snow

🟩 12 Jan 1963, Villa 3-1 Sunderland, Roker Park, played in snow

🟨 16 Jan 1963, Villa 1-1 Bristol City, Ashton Gate, played in snow

🟨 19 Jan 1963, Villa 0-0 Blackburn, Villa Park, played in snow

26 Jan 1963, Villa v Bristol City, Called off

2 Feb 1963, Sheffield United v Villa, Called off

4 Feb 1963, Villa v Sunderland, Called off

9 Feb 1963, Villa v Forest, Called off

🟥 13 Feb 1963, Villa 0-4 Liverpool, Anfield, played on a pitch deemed unplayable 48 hours earlier