Aston Villa enjoyed a truly phenomenal win at the weekend.
Dean Smith’s side, ebullient after an excellent summer of spending, welcomed Liverpool to Villa Park in the toughest test of their season thus far.
And they made light work of it.
Amazingly, they dispatched Jurgen Klopp’s men 7-2 in perhaps the most remarkable Premier League scoreline in history.
Ollie Watkins scored a brilliant hat-trick against the Reds, while Jack Grealish hit a brace, and John McGinn and Ross Barkley were also on the scoresheet.
Watkins, of course, was a headline-grabbing summer signing from Brentford, costing the club a fee that could rise to £33m.
And it seems that the club pulled out all the stops to secure the signing of the 24-year-old.
The Athletic reports that Villa beat five other clubs to snaffle Watkins away from the Championship club, and he made a mighty impression at the weekend.
The striker did not score against Sheffield United or Fulham but, obviously, he now has three in as many games in the top-flight after his treble at the weekend.
He was an exceptional goalscorer at Brentford too, netting 49 goals in 143 appearances, and appears to have taken to Premier League life like a duck to water.
GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…
This is an excellent show of Villa’s ambition.
They only survived on the final day of last season, as they spent the season battling relegation.
But it appears that they are looking to take the next step and climb the table, looking forward, rather than over their shoulders.
Smith’s men are now looking forward with obvious optimism after their three wins in three games.
Watkins is a major part of that; he is a big-money signing with plenty of pedigree and is a player who could well make the difference for the club this term.
He could end up being £33m well spent.