Given the achievement, Carragher was keen to heap praise on his team-mate and talk-up Liverpool’s hopes of overturning a poor run in the first half of the campaign.

Carragher said: “Fernando is a great player, a world class striker. To beat people like Ian Rush, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Roger Hunt to the record says everything. That’s why you pay the kind of money we did to sign him, to score last-minute goals like that.

“There is nothing better than getting a last minute winner.

“You could see how much it meant to everyone but we have just got to move on now.

“Hopefully it will put us on a good run.

“There are a lot of teams who are looking at us and thinking they can take our place in the top four.

“But this was more than just three points. It’s made a statement.

“Villa are a top team with a top manager and it’s a difficult place to come but we controlled the game.”

Ryan Babel’s agent insists Liverpool are only interested in selling the winger in the January transfer window and a loan deal is not an option they will consider.

Babel’s agent Winnie Haatrecht said: ‘It will be difficult for him to focus and remain focused.

“He will not be loaned.

“I don’t know if he will be sold, I have had no contact about that. The only thing I know – no loan. There has been no talk about a sale.”