“No excuses,” said Jurgen Klopp. There are some defeats that are so traumatic and so emphatic that they bring an immediate recognition that injuries, refereeing decisions or anything else that could be used in mitigation has to go unmentioned.
The first Liverpool manager since Bill Shankly in 1963 to see his side concede seven goals ended up copying Alex Ferguson: nine years ago, after the 6-1 thrashing by Manchester City, Ferguson cast aside his playbook of excuses.
No excuses. Losing 7-2 at Aston Villa was inexcusable. Klopp looked and sounded calm as he delivered his verdict. Virgil van Dijk, as laidback in front of a microphone as he can be on the pitch, settled for calling Liverpool "very disappointed." And yet a seismic shock went beyond disappointment. It took Andrew Robertson to put it into proper context. "That result as a Liverpool player is embarrassing," the left-back said. "At times we couldn't believe it."
Nor could the victors. “Surreal,” said the Aston Villa manager Dean Smith, and he was merely talking about a 4-1 half-time lead. The hat-trick in 1963, when Spurs beat Liverpool 7-2, came from Jimmy Greaves, one of the world’s great forwards of his generation. Fifty-seven years later, Ollie Watkins, who had scored in the Conference South, League Two and the Championship but never previously the Premier League, got a first-half hat-trick and ended up lamenting his inability to add further goals.
Klopp has fashioned some sensational scorelines in his time at Anfield, but this was a staggering one. Liverpool, who had 106 points from 108 a few months ago, became the first defending champions since 1953 to concede seven.
Watkins alighted on the tactical element that was pivotal in Smith’s strategy. “We saw how high they play and the gameplan was to try and get in behind them,” the former Exeter and Brentford striker said.
That Liverpool have shifted their defensive line further forward, towards the half-way line, creates room for quick opponents to run into. In theory, a Liverpool defence with the pace of Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson is equipped to cope. They floundered at Villa Park.
They were stripped of the insurance policy they took out to protect themselves against the risks: Alisson Becker, sidelined by a shoulder injury for around six weeks. Adrian is a less imposing figure in one-on-ones.
Klopp accepted the Spaniard’s dreadful kick gifted Villa the opener but, while it set the wrong tone and while Villa scored seven times from 11 shots on target, he defended the Spaniard. “He is a really good goalie,” the German said. It was partly a pragmatic stance. Liverpool are set to face Everton, Ajax, Atalanta and Manchester City with Adrian in goal. A pragmatic tactic would be to defend a little deeper to try and protect him more.
Liverpool’s initial problems at Villa came further forward. A team renowned for hassling and harrying were strangely docile, outworked by Aston Villa. Maybe Sadio Mane’s relentless running would have made a difference. Minus Jordan Henderson, Liverpool lacked a galvanising force and a player who might have snapped at John McGinn’s heels.
A freak scoreline has the potential to prove an anomaly or a sign of decline. Liverpool had excelled against Arsenal and Chelsea but they were too open against Leeds. They have conceded 10 goals in games to teams who were either in the Championship or almost relegated to it last season.
The certainties of last season, when they only conceded once in an 11-game run in winter, are gone. Their history suggests a reaction will come. “It's time now that we make sure that this performance doesn't happen again,” said Robertson. It cannot.
