Liverpool, United suffer epic meltdowns

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND— English soccer’s biggest teams had never experienced a day like it. Liverpool and Manchester United were both humiliated Sunday in losses that rank among their worst ever.

Just when it looked like United’s 6-1collapse at home to Tottenham would be the day’s biggest shock in the Premier League, Liverpool managed to surpass it.

The champions lost 7-2 to an Aston Villa side that avoided relegation on the final day of last season and is now one of only two sides with maximum points in the standings after four rounds.

No defending champion in 67 years had lost so badly in England, and it had been 57 years since Liverpool lost by that much.

“We lost kind of the plot,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “The results are strange.”

With Leicester opening Sunday with a 3-0 loss to West Ham, it leaves Everton and Villa, whose last titles came in the 1980s, leading the way with perfect starts.

Sunday’s results — with 25 goals across six games — continued a breathless, high-scoring start to a season being played out without fans in stadiums during the pandemic.

Only once since 1930 has Manchester United conceded six at home — to Manchester City nine years ago. And not since 1986 has United opened the league season with back-toback home losses.

It was a crushing loss to a Tottenham side that is managed by Jose Mourinho — who was fired by United in 2018 — and had to play eight games in 22 days across three competitions.

“Very impressive,” Mourinho said. “The team was phenomenal.”