In these disorientating times it can feel as if all reference points have been scrambled. Aston Villa are not supposed to destroy Liverpool, the remorseless title-winning force shaped by Jürgen Klopp, making their star-studded back four look like rabbits in front of floodlights. But on an extraordinary night at Villa Park – a sadly silent Villa Park – that is precisely what happened.
Ollie Watkins, the £28m arrival from Brentford, helped himself to a hat-trick before half-time while Jack Grealish, the game’s outstanding performer, scored two and contributed three assists. Villa have now won three out of three at the start of a top-flight season for the first time since 1962.
But they are merely the headline details. The story was about how Villa asserted themselves from the first whistle, tearing Liverpool’s high defensive line to pieces and making one of the loudest statements of their recent history.
Villa’s previous conquests had been Sheffield United and Fulham – teams at the foot of the table. As Dean Smith, the manager, had noted, Liverpool would be a “great marker to see how far we have moved on”.
This was a performance and result to send expectations into orbit.
What on earth happened to Liverpool? They badly missed the presence of the goalkeeper, Alisson, who enables them to play their high line. He damaged a shoulder in training and is out for four to six weeks but that only goes some way towards explaining the shambles on display.
