Villa had no idea how they had ended up 3-0 down. From the start, they had still been trying to play on the counterattack, but against Liverpool, their counters almost looked amateurish.
Liverpool's midfield and attack pressed aggressively enough to prevent Villa from finding any effective opportunities on the break, while the back line used tight one-on-one defending to keep Villa's three forwards under control.
Ashley Young was getting older. He was no longer the Ashley Young of his Manchester United days, and against Alexander-Arnold, he struggled to beat his man and create crossing opportunities.
Watkins was young and quick, but he had to deal with Gvardiol and Van Dijk, who were just as quick, physically strong, and excellent defensively.
As for Jacob, his greatest strength was his passing. But Robertson could not only read the direction of his passes accurately, he could also take advantage whenever Jacob moved away from his position to find space and receive Rodri's passes.
By linking the right side of midfield with the left back, Liverpool had made playing out from the back incredibly simple.
The 36th minute!
Mac Allister had completely adapted to carrying the ball from a slightly deeper position in midfield.
The rhythm there was entirely different from playing as a central midfielder or attacking midfielder.
"Mac Allister looks like he's gradually getting comfortable as a number six. Liverpool are building from the back, and right now, the tempo of their buildup is at Mac Allister's feet!"
Mac Allister lowered his center of gravity as he carried the ball, then quickly drove forward.
This time, instead of playing it to Robertson, he passed to Alexander-Arnold.
The moment Alexander-Arnold received the ball, Aston Villa's players immediately shifted toward the right, forming the shape Gerrard had prepared specifically to target Liverpool's right flank.
If Villa could win the ball from Alexander-Arnold, they could immediately launch a counterattack down that side.
After studying Liverpool for a long time, Gerrard had concluded that this was currently the one area where they were most likely to lose possession and concede.
But Alexander-Arnold did not hesitate for even a second.
He simply used his outstanding long-range passing to switch the ball all the way across to Robertson on the left.
"Liverpool used this combination all the time two or three seasons ago!"
Alexander-Arnold's switch completely nullified the shape Villa had tried to create for the counterattack.
Robertson controlled the ball and immediately lofted it into the penalty area.
He had spotted Núñez calling for it.
Núñez headed it down!
Leo followed up!
A perfectly struck volley!
Emiliano Martínez was beaten again!
Liverpool were four goals ahead before halftime!
"Emiliano Martínez probably never imagined he'd concede four goals in just 45 minutes!"
"Gerrard's first match against his former club has gone exactly as you'd hope. I mean, exactly as Liverpool would hope."
"But for Villa, they need to find a way out of this quickly. Otherwise, four goals won't be the end. They'll only be the beginning!"
After scoring his third goal to complete the hat trick, Leo no longer celebrated.
He wanted to spare his old friend Gerrard a little embarrassment.
The match eventually reached halftime with Liverpool leading 4-0 and under absolutely no pressure.
For the first time in many matches, Klopp felt as though he could actually relax during the break instead of thinking about how Liverpool were going to equalize or come from behind in the second half.
"This is the most enjoyable Liverpool match I've watched in the last forty or fifty Premier League games!"
"If Liverpool played like this every week, I'd come watch every single match. Though I already come to almost every one anyway!"
"Nothing beats watching your own team score for fun. Forget last season's Liverpool. This season's Liverpool are going to be completely different!"
Gerrard did everything he could during halftime to find a solution for Villa.
But once the second half began, Klopp made two substitutions that dismantled Gerrard's defensive adjustments.
In the 62nd minute, Gakpo came on for Salah.
After having to push himself to the limit in almost every match recently, Salah could finally get some proper rest.
Gakpo, meanwhile, immediately began working hard to create chances for the team.
The 68th minute!
"Liverpool are turning defense into attack incredibly quickly. They barely need any transition time at all!"
"Alexander-Arnold plays it straight down the right to Gakpo. The Dutch winger has the ball!"
"Into the penalty area!"
"He cuts inside!"
"Gakpo is brought down by Konsa!"
"The referee points to the spot again!"
"Konsa is definitely heading for a very low rating today. Liverpool have found far too many openings through him!"
Gakpo came off the bench and won the penalty.
Leo stepped up and converted it, scoring his fourth goal of the match.
With four goals and one assist, he had been directly involved in all five of Liverpool's goals as they took a 5-0 lead over Aston Villa.
"Four goals and one assist. Leo's performance today has been absolutely flawless!"
But Leo's scoring wasn't over yet.
In the 70th minute, Klopp made another substitution.
This time, Szoboszlai came on.
"Liverpool's new signing Szoboszlai is coming on! He's replacing Mac Allister, which means Rodri will return to playing as the lone holding midfielder!"
"Szoboszlai is more attack-minded, he's handsome, and he's a great player too!"
After Szoboszlai entered the match, the way Liverpool's midfield operated changed as well.
Instead of prioritizing control, they began focusing on driving forward and attacking aggressively.
Szoboszlai made full use of his ability to carry the ball at speed and went straight at Douglas Luiz.
The 79th minute!
"Szoboszlai drives forward and gets past Douglas Luiz! That move looked like it had been part of his plan from the very beginning!"
After beating him, Szoboszlai immediately lofted a pass into the space behind Núñez.
But the pass was not intended for Núñez.
Leo had burst forward again, pulling away from Konsa and receiving the ball inside the penalty area.
He immediately chipped it toward the left side of the goal.
Emiliano had prepared himself for everything.
A low drive.
A curling shot.
A powerful strike.
The one thing he had never expected was for Leo to chip the ball from such close range.
"Five goals!!!"
"Leo scores Liverpool's sixth goal of the match! He's been directly involved in all six, and that's his fifth goal today!"
Everyone thought Liverpool were going to finish the match with a 6-0 victory.
But only two minutes later, Douglas Luiz carried the ball through midfield and was dispossessed by Leo.
Leo immediately slipped a through ball forward.
Núñez scored again.
For the first time since arriving in the Premier League, the Uruguayan striker had scored twice in a single match.
And Leo had now been directly involved in all seven goals.
"If it weren't for Leo, Núñez would absolutely be tomorrow's headline!"
"But now Leo has scored five goals and provided two assists! He's been directly involved in all seven as Liverpool destroy Villa!"
"From this moment on, every media outlet will want to talk about one thing and one thing only."
"Leo!"
...
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