Klopp: Aston Villa deserved 7-2 win over Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given accolades to Aston Villa for their stunning win over his team on Sunday night.

Hosts Villa shocked the champions 7-2 at Villa Park to claim their third win in three Premier League games. New signing Ollie Watkins grabbed a hat-trick, captain Jack Grealish scored twice, while John McGinn and Ross Barkley netted the other goals.

“First and foremost, all credit to Aston Villa,” Klopp said in his post-match  interview.  “They played really well. They deserved this result massively.”

Klopp, who led Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years last season, then laid into his players who looked out of sorts throughout the clash.

 “All the things we shouldn’t do in a football match, we did tonight,” the German said. “Credit to Aston Villa, who forced all our mistakes. The first goal had an impact and it shouldn’t. The reaction was not good, we lost the plot. Our body language dropped.”

Stand-in goalkeeper Adrian had a hand in one or two of Villa’s goals but Klopp refused to blame the Spaniard. 

The former Borussia Dortmund manager added: “Adrian is a really good goalie. He played 11 games last year, we won all of them. Tonight our goalie was not the problem. The reaction to that first goal was not his problem, it was our problem.”

The 7-2 loss was Klopp’s joint-biggest defeat as a manager and the first time his team have conceded seven goals.

It was also the first Premier League match he has been without both the injured goalkeeper Alisson and Sadio Mane, who was unavailable due to a positive coronavirus test, since the Brazil goalkeeper joined the club in 2018.