Villa boss Graham Taylor must have driven out of Villa Park last night with a grin on his face.

"We have two points from our first two matches. We could easily have lost them both and no-one would have been surprised." Said Taylor.

Nigel Spink. Paul Birch and a right-back named Andy Comyn - Andy Who? to most of the 33,796 crowd - were the pivotal Villa for figures.

It took rare nerve from Taylor to select Comyn six days after signing him on full pro forms from Alvechurch. Even mores so to ask the 21-year-old physics graduate to try to quell the best wing player in these islands, John Barnes.

Barnes initially teased and twisted Comyn until his head spun. The England player shimmied once, twice, three times before Comyn reeled to the ground and Barnes curled a right-foot shot off a defender and round Spink for Liverpool's goal.

Taylor said later that Villa were going nowhere in the first half. Yet, only a goal behind, he knew a team adjustment might at least supply new angles and initiatives.

Callaghan came off and lan Olney was deployed alone upheld while David Platt filled in behind him and Adrian Heath added a fourth man to the midfield.

Suddenly Birch was pushing resolutely down Liverpool's slightly weaker right side and for the first time they were being forced to act with more haste and to safeguard the flank.

Birch confused Liverpool into giving away a corner and crossed for Platt to crack a short-range shot inside the far post.

Then Spink dived instinctively to beat away Peter Beardsley's eight-yard shot.

Villa were now all hustle, holding on eagerly until the referee allowed Steve McMahon to handle the ball and then, after stopping to see whether he had been caught, rolled it to Beardsley.

It seemed that Taylor's luck had run dry in the last minute. Then Stuart Gray headed off the line and we knew it hadn't.

An absorbing, entertaining game.