For the first time in history both Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United let in 6 goals and more (in Liverpool’s case) on the same day.
The Red Devils of Manchester United and the Reds of Liverpool suffered their worst defeats in decades against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa respectively on a Sunday of historic bloodletting in the Premier League.
Not since 1963 have Liverpool conceded seven goals in one game, when they were beaten 7-2 by Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, the Spurs class of 2020 ran riot against United who lost Anthony Martial to a red card in the first half.
At Villa Park, Ollie Watkins’s first-half hat-trick led the charge for Aston Villa and he was ably supported by strikes from John McGinn, Ross Barkley, and Jack Grealish who completed the scoring.
It is also the first time the reigning champions of the English Premier League have let in seven goals. The last time that happened was in 1953, in the English Premier Division.
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Champions Liverpool were outplayed
After Liverpool went down 2-0, Mo Salah pulled one back. By the time he scored his second goal in the 60th minute, Villa had already registered 4 goals, making the champions look like schoolboys. By the 80th minute, the match resembled a Villa feeding frenzy.
Last season the Reds were not beaten until their 28th league game on their way to winning the trophy, and without injured goalkeeper Alisson Becker and with Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane unavailable due to coronavirus infections, Liverpool were vulnerable.
Alisson’s absence made a telling impact after just four minutes to get Villa in front as Adrian’s poor pass was seized upon by Grealish, who squared for the former Watkins to score his first Premier League goal.
Mane was also missed at the other end as Liverpool laid seige to the Villa goal, but were too easily opened up on the counter-attack.
On a mild day at Old Trafford in Manchester, no one saw what was to come, when Manchester United were awarded a penalty in the first minute of the game. Martial was fouled and Bruno Fernandez converted. And that was the last time United were to find the net.
Son Heung-min and Harry Kane scored twice as Spurs ran circles around a pathetic United defence compounded when Martial was sent off for an off-the-ball clash with Erik Lamela. Martial slapped Lamela on the face in retaliation for what United claim was an elbow from Lamela. Tanguy Ndombele and Serge Aurier were also on target for Tottenham.
Both Liverpool and United have equalled their worst defeats ever in the Premier League.
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Mourinho savours win over Manchester United
Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, who was fired in December 2018, will have been at his smug best. “It is history for Tottenham, history for my boys and I cannot deny it is also history for me,” said the Portuguese told AFP after the game.
“Some people can say you play against 10 men … it is also true that 11 v 11 we were playing extremely well.”
Jose Mourinho
United were a shambles in defence. Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Luke Shaw will hang their heads in shame for their part in the nightmare at the Theatre of Dreams.
The last time United conceded six goals was nine years ago, against Manchester City. Before that, they conceded six goals in 1930.
The last time United started the season with back-to-back home defeats was 1986.
The defeat will pile pressure on Mourninho successor at United Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the transfer window closes on Monday. This second straight home defeat places Manchester United just above the relegation zone in 16th. Tottenham move up to fifth.
