Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert scored a goal apiece in each half to ensure the reds left Villa Park with another three points.
The reds have now won 5 consecutive away fixtures across all competitions, with 3 of them coming in the Premier League.
And although the reds haven't faced any significantly tricky opponents the uptick in results since a horrible opening period has been more than welcome.
Results across the Premier League suggested that this win was vital to keep pace with the sides challenging the top four and the reds can now look ahead to 3 cup ties before a return to League action at the end of the month.
Without Steven Gerrard involved, Jordan Henderson was again handed the captaincy. The impressive defensive trio was retained and Borini started up front. Liverpool also welcomed back Raheem Sterling from his January holiday.
The reds were good in the first half - showing faint glimpses of the attacking impetus that was so prevalent last season. The ball was stroked around the pitch with finesse and it was no surprise that the reds took the lead midway through the first half. Good work on the wing saw Markovic play the ball neatly to Henderson - his first touch controlled the ball - his second whipped in a fine cross that Borini stretched out a leg to dispatch the ball past Guzan.
1-0.
The reds had other chances in the half - the pick of the bunch being an incisive pass to Sterling - the youngster electing a lob that was easily collected by the Villa keeper.
The second half and the hosts were on the front foot. Liverpool's dominance evaporated. The reds were being pegged back as impressive defensive work and even some good stops by Mignolet were required to keep Villa from equalising.
Enrique and Lambert were brought on for Moreno and Borini but it did little to halt the forward march from the opponents. In the final minutes of the game the reds won a corner. After looking like it would be cleared, Sterling managed to intercept and fed a ball to Lambert. He took his time, turned, and fired a shot in to the corner of the goal to ensure the reds would be leaving with all of the points.
The reds moved temporarily up a place to 7th, although West Ham are still to play this weekend. The reds remain 5 points away from 5th place. If the reds have any genuine hopes for returning in to the top four then they will almost certainly need to avoid defeat against their fellow Champions League chasers in the remaining games of the seasons.
This is not yet a fully fledged recovery from Liverpool but they have got important victories against sides they should be beating in recent weeks. It's looking more positive than the dark days of December.
