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In what might've been the wildest day of Premier League action in the competition's history, the craziest result was saved until last.
Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool travelled to Aston Villa hoping to claim their fourth win of the 2020-21 campaign and potentially leapfrog Merseyside rivals Everton at the top of the table. To say that they didn't manage that would be an understatement.
In one of the biggest upsets in Premier League history, Jurgen Klopp's men were absolutely dismantled by Dean Smith's Villa, with the game somehow finishing 7-2.
A hat-trick from Ollie Watkins, along with a brace from Jack Grealish and goals from John McGinn and Ross Barkley sent Villa fans into wonderland, rendering Mohamed Salah's double largely irrelevant.
Here are five talking points from this remarkable game.
#1 Liverpool's aura of invincibility is gone
The biggest talking point from this match has to be the fact that the aura of invincibility that has surrounded Liverpool ever since their Champions League victory in 2019 is now gone, perhaps for good.
Jurgen Klopp's men didn't suffer a single loss in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign until February's surprise defeat at the hands of Watford. They won the league title after finishing 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals Manchester City. At times, it seemed like the Reds were truly unstoppable.
Today though, that was all different. Villa came into the match showing absolutely no fear of the Reds' attacking talents and absolutely destroyed the champions by exposing the high line of their defence time after time.
Sure, Liverpool were without three key men in Alisson, Sadio Mane, and Thiago Alcantara. But the fact is that no reigning Premier League champions have ever been taken apart in this manner before. This result will undoubtedly send a message to the pretenders to the Premier League throne – based on today, Liverpool are far from invincible, and so the title race is wide open.
#2 Villa's Ollie Watkins is the real deal
Aston Villa's struggles during the 2019-20 Premier League campaign have been well documented. Dean Smith's side couldn't stop conceding goals in the first half of the season, and when the action restarted following lockdown, their defence tightened up, but they struggled for goals.
After surviving by the skin of their teeth, it was clear that Smith needed to bring some reinforcements in – particularly in the striking department. However, eyebrows were raised when Villa paid £28m for Brentford's Ollie Watkins.
Watkins had scored 25 goals in the EFL Championship during 2019-20, but had never played in the Premier League before. And so quite rightly, his ability to adjust was questioned – especially when he failed to find the net in his first two matches. Well, after tonight, those questions have been answered.
Watkins is most certainly for real. The former Brentford man was phenomenal in tonight's game, simply dominating Liverpool's defence – particularly the hapless Joe Gomez – throughout the game. He held the ball up excellently, made brilliant runs and passes to his teammates, and when he was given chances, he found the back of the net – three times to be exact.
Even more fascinatingly, in his post-match interview, Watkins seemed more bothered about a good chance he missed during the second half than the goals he'd scored. That tends to be the mark of a player who's always looking for improvement, something that can only be good for Villa.
Villa fans should be absolutely buzzing with this signing. The days of worrying about the finishing ability of Keinan Davis and Mbwana Samatta are now over, and Villa have a new hero to worship.
#3 What happened to Liverpool's defence?
Conceding seven goals is never a good look for any defence, let alone one who only conceded 33 goals in 2019-20. So it's worth asking the question: what happened to Liverpool's backline tonight against Villa? There are a few things worth looking at.
Firstly, how much did the loss of Alisson cost the Reds? Deputy keeper Adrian was clearly at fault for the first goal, as his poor pass led to Jack Grealish stealing the ball and crossing for Ollie Watkins' relatively easy finish. However, for Villa's other goals, the Spaniard largely had no chance.
Obviously three of those goals were partially caused by wicked deflections – leaving Adrian stranded – but the fact is that Liverpool still allowed Villa to have those chances. And stunningly, on a different day, Dean Smith's side could've had 10 or even 11 goals, had Ross Barkley and Watkins finished more of their chances.
That brings into question Liverpool's whole defensive approach – and in discussing that, their high line must be looked at. Time after time, Liverpool's backline appeared to be pushing too far forward in an attempt to catch Villa offside. And Dean Smith's men capitalised on that, sending balls through the middle and over the top and creating a ridiculous amount of chances.
In the end, the fact that Villa were allowed a ridiculous 18 shots on goal – despite having just 31% possession – should say a lot. If Liverpool are to recover from this loss and retain their title, they need to ensure this performance is a one-off – and not a case of the blueprint to beating them being exposed.
#4 Can Barkley unlock Villa's true potential?
Most observers have suggested that Aston Villa are one of the big winners of the current transfer window. Their early signings – Matty Cash, Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore – have filled gaps that were crying out to be filled last season. But it's their latest loan acquisition, Chelsea's Ross Barkley, who could be the real key to unlocking their true potential.
Barkley has always had raw talent dating back to his days at Everton, but since then his career has largely suffered from stops and starts. At Goodison Park, it felt like his free-flowing style of attacking never fitted into their system, while at Chelsea, he just wasn't able to establish himself as a true first-team player.
He's only played one match for Villa, but judging on his performance today, he might've found the perfect place to play. The England international had a phenomenal game in the centre of the park, and alongside the outstanding John McGinn, he ensured that Liverpool's midfield never had a chance to breathe.
Every time Barkley got on the ball, it felt like Villa would potentially carve out a chance. And the fact that he's already linking up so well with Watkins and Jack Grealish must have Villa fans absolutely salivating.
Dean Smith's side showed flashes of potential during 2019-20 – even despite their struggles – but always looked two or three good players short of making a real impact. With the addition of Barkley, though, it feels like anything might be possible for them. His signing could turn out to be one of the best of the season.
#5 What's happening to the Premier League?
For as stunning as today's result at Villa Park was, it's worth noting that it came at the end of a truly remarkable day for the Premier League overall.
The day started with a stunning result at the King Power Stadium, where West Ham were able to maul Leicester City – who smashed Manchester City 2-5 just a week ago – 0-3.
Usually, that kind of result would be the most seismic one of the day, but just a few hours later, Manchester United were demolished 1-6 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. Of course, Liverpool fans were celebrating that result – only to see their own side dismantled by Villa shortly afterwards.
The current Premier League table sees Everton at the top, followed by Aston Villa, Leicester, and Arsenal. It's still early days of course – this was only Villa's third game of the campaign – but it definitely feels that unlike last season, which was won comfortably by Liverpool, the 2020-21 Premier League season may well be the most wide-open we've seen in a long time.
2015-16 obviously saw a stunning title win by Leicester, but could this season see an equally unlikely team crowned as champions? Based on what we've seen so far, it's definitely possible – and that makes every Premier League game a must-watch going forward.
