An absolutely baffling day of Premier League football came to a close in fitting fashion a short time ago, with Liverpool falling to a 5-goal defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.
Reds exposed
Jurgen Klopp’s men made the trip to Villa Park this evening, for a meeting with the Claret and Blue.
The visitors headed into proceedings with confidence high, on the back of a perfect start to the defence of their title.
The opening 3 gameweeks of the campaign had seen Liverpool rack up a trio of consecutive wins.
As such, the Reds were understandably viewed as overwhelming favourites to bag all 3 points in Birmingham on Sunday night.
What subsequently unfolded, however, saw Liverpool not only miss out on a victory, but in fact fall to one of the most embarrassing defeats in the recent history of the club.
A laughable defensive performance on the part of Klopp’s men allowed Villa to run riot, en route to a 7-2 final score.
Ollie Watkins proved the star of the show, bagging a hat-trick for Dean Smith’s men, with Jack Grealish (2), John McGinn and Ross Barkley having all also been on target.
7⃣ @AVFCOfficial score 7 goals in a PL game for only the 2nd time (won 7-1 v Wimbledon in 1995 under Brian Little)
Also first time Liverpool have conceded 7 since a 7-2 league defeat at Tottenham in April 1963 pic.twitter.com/dZHZawXYJx
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) October 4, 2020
Liverpool’s staggering stats
On the back of their humiliation at Villa Park, meanwhile, a whole host of statistics surrounding Liverpool’s defeat have since been forthcoming online.
First off, the Merseysiders have equalled an unwanted club feat from 57 years ago, by conceding 7 goals in a top-flight fixture:
7 – Liverpool have conceded seven goals in a game for the first time since April 1963, in a 7-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Crushing. #AVLLIV pic.twitter.com/CrvMuNFuYk
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 4, 2020
They are also the first reigning champions since 1953 to allow an opposing side to net 7 in a league fixture:
7 – Liverpool are the first reigning English top-flight champions to ship seven goals in a league match since Arsenal against Sunderland in September 1953. Embarrassed. #AVLLIV pic.twitter.com/CAnLAPG7b5
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 4, 2020
It is of course also worth remembering that Liverpool’s loss this evening came just hours after Manchester United had fallen to a similarly shocking 6-1 defeat at home to Tottenham.
In turn, the following statistic has also been unearthed:
6 – For the first time in the two clubs’ history, both Liverpool and Manchester United have conceded six goals in a match on the same day. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/42vsBHULeH
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 4, 2020
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