Ross Barkley’s Aston Villa make Premier League history in beating Liverpool, 7-2

With all eyes on the transfer market, the football itself decided to take center stage on Sunday. Shocking, I know!

Chelsea loanee Ross “Bane of Liverpool” Barkley’s Aston Villa career is off to a flying start, with a goal and two secondary assists (and at least three missed great chances) as Villa beat Liverpool 7-2.

No, that’s not a typo. It’s the first time ever that any defending Premier League champions have conceded seven, and the first time that’s happened to any defending English top flight champions since 1953.

Villa scored early and often, and could’ve been up three inside of thirty minutes. Instead, it was just two, and former Chelsea man Mo Salah pulled one back for Liverpool to make it 2-1 just past the half-hour mark. But because this is 2020, the game still didn’t play out as one would’ve expected. Villa scored the next three, with Barkley’s strike early in the second half making it 5-1. Salah pulled another one back, before Jack Grealish added one via a deflection (Villa scored at least three via deflections) and one more without one. Villa then hit the post for good measure, too.

And here we all thought that Spurs’ 6-1 win against 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier — again, not a typo — was going to be the most ridiculous scoreline of the day. United actually took the lead in this one (another Bruno penalty) after just 32 seconds, but Spurs scored twice in the next five minutes, then Anthony Martial was sent off after reacting to an Erik Lamela sharp elbows Lamela-ing and all the wheels truly fell off Ole’s bus.

Will Solksjær get the chance to put them back on or will they give the tire iron to Mauricio Pochettino during the international break?

Those two ridiculous games overshadowed West Ham’s also ridiculous 3-0 win over Leicester City at the King Power, just a week after Leicester beat Manchester City 5-2 at the Etihad.

Is this the best season already?

The upshot of all that is that Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton and John Terry’s Dean Smith’s Aston Villa are leading the league, both perfect through four and three matches, respectively, at the October international break. Meanwhile, Manchester City are down in 14th and United in 16th, both with a game in hand, but still hilarious. What is this, the 1970s?

Obviously, it’s early doors, but Chelsea on 7 points and in 7th place are doing just fine so far.