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(Reuters) – Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said his embarrassing 7-2 beating of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday was unacceptable and promised players will react positively after the international break.
Ollie Watkins’ hat-trick, along with a double from Jack Grealish, gave Villa a notable victory as Liverpool became the first England league champion to send seven goals in a league game since the Arsenal in 1953.
“Sometimes we couldn’t believe it. We weren’t good enough … That result as a Liverpool player is shameful,” Robertson told the club’s website https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/ 411296- reaction-of-andy-robertson-aston-villa-premier-league.
“We never won our second balls, we never won our challenges, we never scored with the chances. Unfortunately, all the credit goes to Aston Villa. They were better than us.”
Liverpool got off to a poor start at Villa Park after a poor pass from substitute goalkeeper Adrian gave Watkins a first game in the fourth minute.
Watkins completed his hat-trick in 39 minutes, becoming the first player to score a Premier League treble against Liverpool in more than a decade.
Mohamed Salah scored both Liverpool goals – to make it 2-1 and 5-2 – but the visitors were outscored by Dean Smith’s side in both halves.
“We were 4-1 down in the first half and this Liverpool team thinks we could have come back, of course we did,” added Robertson, the 26-year-old Scottish international.
“But the fact that we then go out and concede (almost) as many goals in the second half as well, that scoreboard becomes embarrassing when you play for this club, it’s not acceptable and that’s something we all have to deal with.
The Scottish left-back said a two-week gap in the Premier League due to the international break will be frustrating for Liverpool’s players, who will be eager to recover when they visit local rivals in form, Everton, on 17 October.
“It is up to us to be as fit and fresh as possible with all the international games, but we will stick together and make sure this performance hopefully never happens again,” said Robertson.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Chennai; Edited by Ken Ferris)
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