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Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has admitted that he had fitness issues before facing Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, in an interview with the Guardian.
Dean Smith's men would go on to dismantle Liverpool 7-2 in one of the biggest upsets of the season, with Grealish playing a key role.
Grealish played a pivotal role in Villa's demolition of Liverpool
Despite his admission, Grealish did not look out of sorts against Liverpool. In fact, he was arguably Aston Villa's best performer, scoring two and assisting three as Villa ran riot against the champions.
Liverpool deserved to lose the game on the basis of their performance, but the scoreline was a shock to see, with the Premier League champions toothless against an Aston Villa that barely survived relegation last season.
New signing Ollie Watkins scored a hattrick, with Grealish scoring a brace. John McGinn and Ross Barkley also found the back of the net for the home side, while Mohamed Salah scored the two consolation goals for Liverpool.
Grealish stated that he was surprised by his performance.
"I had a fitness test on the day of the Liverpool game [last Sunday]. I hadn’t even trained for the two days before it because I had a sore hamstring."
Liverpool were busy in the transfer window gone by, bringing in left-back Kostas Tsimikas, midfielder Thiago Alcantara and forward Diogo Jota for a combined fee of €80 million.
Jurgen Klopp's side are once again among the favourites to win the league, but their performance against Aston Villa raised eyebrows. Liverpool's defeat came on the very evening Manchester United lost 6-1 to Tottenham Hotspur, rounding off a strange matchday in the Premier League.
Grealish, for his part, has been at his sparkling best this season. The midfielder, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, signed a new contract with Aston Villa until 2025 in September. The 25-year old recently made his debut for the England national team as well.
Liverpool, who missed Sadio Mane against Aston Villa, are now gearing up for the Merseyside derby, as they prepare to face Everton in what promises to be an exciting Premier League encounter.
