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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp highlighted the one piece of 'good news' following his side's 7-2 loss against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

After seeing Alisson ruled out with injury in the build-up to the game, the Reds coach was relieved that no other players picked up injuries at Villa Park. 

Alisson is now set to miss up to six weeks through injury with Adrian failing to impress between the sticks in his absence against Dean Smith's side. 

Klopp didn't shy away from the poor showing from his team on Sunday but still managed to find a positive take away from the defeat.

"The only good news actually is nobody was injured after the game," Klopp said post-match.

On the impact of the squad's current injuries and absentees, he added: "That’s really for supporters and journalists to make of these kind of things, ‘He is not in, he is not in, he is not in’. There is no need for one excuse, absolutely not.

"Whatever team we could have lined up tonight, I wouldn’t expect to lose 7-2, to be honest – 100 per cent. It’s not necessary, it’s absolutely not necessary.

"I said it in the beginning and it’s true, Aston Villa did really, really well, but we helped as well. This game then has its own dynamic and then influence goes in that direction, one team is flying and the other team is obviously not flying. We know that, that’s how things can happen – but it should not happen. 4-1 down, half-time, usually you would say we try another five minutes and then we just defend. That’s not us.

"Everyone who saw the game had the feeling if we score once, then score [for] 4-2, then probably game on, or not. Not if we play like tonight, but if we then can improve in the game then it would have been game on.

"Nothing to do with the players we missed tonight; yes, we missed them obviously, but it had nothing to do with the result or the players who replaced them." 

Following the international break, Liverpool will look to bounce back against high-flying rivals Everton, who are top of the Premier League after winning their first four games of the new campaign. 

Selangor's 7-0 hammering of PDRM FA in their matchday 10 Malaysia Super League encounter last Saturday produced an unlikely man of the match.

Sean Selvaraj had mostly been playing bit parts since joining the Red Giants in 2018, especially under former head coach B. Satiananthan, who mostly fielded him as a late-game substitute. But after only one match under technical director and interim head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner, he was handed a start against the Cops on Saturday. 

The 24-year old forward repaid the German's trust in stunning fashion, scoring a brace before going on to assist three of their goals in the rout.

After the match, Feichtenbeiner revealed his assessment of the former Negeri Sembilan product, when asked about it by Goal.

"This (players not getting enough playing time) sometimes happens. Every coach has the type of players [that they prefer]. Sean has skills, which is very important for our tactics; transition football needs fast players who can work in defence. His running was very good today and so was his off-the-ball running because he gave his teammates a lot of options, and this is what our style of football needs.

"Today he performed well and he can grow a lot. If he takes his chances and score, that's perfect. He must work on and off the ball for the team and so far he has been taking his chances in training. If he was lazy, I'd never give him a chance. He's a player I'd like for the future," explained Feichtenbeiner.

Michael Feichtenbeiner. Photo from Getty

The man of the moment himself reiterated the need to take the chances that circumstances have presented him.

"I've shown that I'm very, very hungry. I haven't had many chances under Satiananthan, which is not is fault because he had to stick to his tactical strengths, while the new coach's preference is players who run. I'm really happy that I managed to use the chance today to help the team, not just through the goals but also the assists and good movements.

"Everyone at the team knew that Selangor are not where we should be, so we need to buck up in our last two games."

He also revealed to Goal that he has another year on his contract at the team.

"Well, I still have sometime left in my contract, but with the new coach that will come in and the fact that I enjoy being here, I see no reason for leaving next season," noted Sean.

Juventus have reached an agreement with Fiorentina and Federico Chiesa to bring the winger to Turin, Goal can confirm. 

The 22-year-old will join Andrea Pirlo's side on an initial two-year loan with an obligation to buy if certain conditions are met. 

Juventus will pay around €2 million for the first year of the loan deal, which will rise to €8m for the second season. Chiesa's stint in Turin would then have to be made permanent for a fee of around €40m ($47m) if certain conditions are met. 

Among a range of factors that would see Juve forced to buy Chiesa outright include the attacker playing at least 60 per cent of matches for at least 30 minutes and the player himself contributing a minimum of 10 goals and 10 assists. 

Chiesa is also expected to sign a contract extension with Fiorentina before sealing his move to Juventus with his wage demands on that front initially holding up the deal. 

A medical in Turin is scheduled to take place on Monday with an official announcement likely to come soon after. 

The 19-time Italy international scored 10 goals in Serie A last season and also struck in Fiorentina's 4-3 loss against Inter last month. 

Fiorentina chief executive officer Joe Barone confirmed in May that several English clubs were "knocking at the door" to sign their young star. 

“There are clubs knocking at the door for Chiesa, some of them who speak English…We’ll see. For the moment, we just need to finish the season and he is very concentrated on doing well for us, Barone told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Chiesa has overcome his physical problems and has returned to being what everyone has already seen." 

Chiesa joined Fiorentina as a junior in 2007 and has never played for another club. He incidentally made his senior debut against Juventus in 2016 but was replaced by then manager Paulo Sousa at half-time. 

Fiorentina have made a poor start to the new Serie A season and currently sit 13th with one win from their first three games. They next face Spezia following the international break and will likely do so without Chiesa in their squad. 

Douglas Costa will join Bayern Munich on loan from Juventus before the transfer window closes, Goal can confirm. 

The 30-year-old is desperate to relaunch his career and views Bayern as the ideal place to do it after struggling with injuries in Italy. 

Costa originally joined the Bundesliga giants in 2015 from Shakhtar Donetsk before a loan stint in Turin two years later resulted in a permanent move to Serie A.

Despite initially impressing on loan for Juventus, the Brazilian has failed to fire regularly for the club over the past two years - netting just four times across two seasons. 

Injuries have held Costa back in recent times and with Andrea Pirlo's side well stocked when it comes to attackers, all parties have agreed he should spend the season on loan with Bayern.

Juventus were initially keen to sell the 30-year-old but will now hope Costa can drive his price up over the next year with strong performances in Germany. 

During the 2019-20 campaign, Costa managed 29 outings for Juve and impressed when he was available, scoring three goals in all competitions while laying on a further seven assists.

However, his season was blighted with injury issues, missing 21 fixtures in total, and it was only after the suspension of play because of the coronavirus pandemic that he was able to put together a lengthy series of appearances, and even then these typically came from the bench.

Similarly, he spent a good deal of time during the previous term out. He featured 18 times in Serie A during the 2018-19 campaign but missed four matches due to a suspension and another 16 because of injuries.

These were overwhelmingly muscular, with a hamstring problem keeping him out for two months only to be struck by a calf injury sustained after only 30 competitive minutes.

During his time in Turin, Costa has won three Scudetti, while he is also a two-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern. 

Hansi Flick's side will be bolstered by the arrival of the Brazilian, who were pushed all the way on Sunday as they claimed a late 4-3 win over Hertha Berlin with Robert Lewandowski scoring all four of Bayern's goals. 

Ibrahima Niane has recorded his first hat-trick for club and country after striking thrice in Metz’s 3-1 defeat of Lorient on Sunday.

The newly promoted Merlucciidaes came to the Stade Saint-Symphorien with the ambition of recording their first win of the 2020-21 campaign, however, they ended up on the losing side.

Pierre-Yves Hamel gave the visitors the lead in the 35th minute - heading past Algeria international goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja after Thomas Monconduit’s freekick was deflected to his path.

Three minutes before the half-time break, Niane levelled matters from the penalty spot after Madagascar’s Thomas Fontaine had brought him down in the goal area while trying to navigate his way at goal.

He completed his brace 14 minutes into the second-half tucking the ball past Paul Nardi after being played by Cote d'Ivoire's Habib Maiga.

That goal slowed down Lorient’s tempo and in the 64th minute, Niane made it three goals after heading home a free-kick from Cote d’Ivoire’s Victorien Angban.

The 21-year-old who has now scored six goals in his last three games was in action from start to finish alongside Oukidja, Angban, Maiga, Tunisia’s Dylan Bronn and Ghana’s John Boye. His compatriot Opa Nguette was replaced by French footballer of Congolese descent Warren Tchimbembe.

Papa Ndiaga Yade came in for Thierry Ambrose in the 65th minute as Cape Verde's Vagner Goncalves and Mali's Boubakar Kouyate were not dressed for the tie.

For Lorient, Madagascar’s Jeremy Morel played every minute of the game with his compatriot Monconduit coming off for Sylvain Marveaux with nine minutes left to play. Umut Bozok replaced DR Congo's Yaone Wissa in the closing stages of the four-goal thriller.

Thanks to this result, Metz are 15th in the log with seven points from six games while Lorient sit one place above the relegation zone.

After the international break, Niane would be hoping to continue with this rich goalscoring form as his team travel to Stade Raymond Kopa for Angers on October 17. On the other hand, Lorient chase their first win of the season against Reims at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.

Ronald Koeman is not sure where Ousmane Dembele will be playing when the transfer window closes as the Barcelona forward continues to be linked with a move to Manchester United.

Dembele has reportedly emerged as an alternative to Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho for Premier League giants Man Utd, who are determined to bolster their squad before Monday's deadline.

After watching Barca's 3-0 win over Celta Vigo from the stands, Dembele was once again an unused substitute in Sunday's 1-1 La Liga draw at home to Sevilla.

Barca head coach Koeman was asked about Dembele post-match and he said: "What is certain in the world? I don't know.

"At the moment, he's a Barcelona player. There's still one day left for incomings and outgoings. We'll see.

"I opted for [Francisco] Trincao, Pedri and [Miralem] Pjanic [off the bench].

"We needed more control and that's why I made these changes."

Barca's 100 per cent start to the season was ended by Sevilla following a draw at Camp Nou, where Luuk de Jong and Philippe Coutinho traded goals.

De Jong opened the scoring for Sevilla in the eighth minute, but Barca star Coutinho restored parity just two minutes later.

Barca and Sevilla both have seven points from their opening three matches, three points adrift of leaders and champions Real Madrid.

"It was a difficult game," Koeman said. "They pressed us well. Our problem was that our play with the ball wasn't how we would like.

"They play good football, they press well and physically they're stronger than us. They're a top team.

"I think we played well, but we lost the ball a lot in the second half, so it's difficult to get into a rhythm in the game.

"I'm happy with the team's performance. The team was tired, but we fought until the end. But [we played against] a great opponent."

Antoine Griezmann produced another underwhelming display and he was the first player withdrawn by Koeman just past the hour-mark, like he was against Celta.

"The change the other day [against Celta Vigo] was tactical," Koeman added. "With Ansu [Fati] we had more penetration and pace - something we needed in Vigo with 10 men.

"Today, [Griezmann] had two opportunities [to score] and, for a player of his quality, he should've scored either of those two chances."

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has hailed his side after their shock rout of Premier League champions Liverpool, hailing his side's performance as a "tremendous achievement" following their 7-2 win.

A first-half hat-trick for new signing Ollie Watkins, couple with a Jack Grealish brace after the break and goals for John McGinn and Ross Barkley helped the hosts deliver a stirring upset at Villa Park against the incumbent title holders, despite only 30 per cent of possession throughout.

The Reds were left frustrated and flummoxed as their perfect start to the new top-flight campaign came to a juddering halt against a team who only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship last term, leaving Jugern Klopp with much to ponder ahead of the international break.

Speaking after the match, Smith - whose side preserved their own unbeaten start to the campaign at the expense of their visitors - hailed his side's approach, and admitted that the flabbergasted plaudits of his opposite number felt like vindication for his team.

"It was just sheer hard work and effort," he told Sky Sports. "The work ethic, when Jurgen Klopp says wow to you you know you've done something right. The lads were superb, they executed the game plan perfectly. We were at our best today.

"The biggest regret is that there were no supporters here with us - I hope they are enjoying it from their homes. It was a tremendous achievement for the players, they worked really hard.

"If you get outworked by Liverpool, they beat you because they've got fabulous talent. Even at 5-2 you're not sure if that's enough because of how good they are. We felt that if we reversed the ball to the opposite side, that's where the space would be.

"Football is small margins, they had some good chances in the first half where our keeper made a couple of good saves and that, alongside a couple of deflections, was the difference probably."

Smith singled out ex-Brentford youngster Watkins for additional praise, adding: "He is a tremendous talent, I felt we've learnt a lot of lessons from last season and we've added quality to what we thought was a good talented squad anyway."

Victory against Liverpool takes Villa to three wins from three and lifts them above the Reds into second on goal difference, though Smith cautioned that his side would not be carried away by form.

"It's a good start, an exceptional result and a really good start," he noted. "We won't get complacent but we'll enjoy tonight because results like that don't come around too often. We've got a lot of pride and confidence going into the international break."

Samuel Kalu got his second goal of the 2020-21 Ligue 1 campaign as Bordeaux silenced Dijon 3-0 in Sunday’s outing.

Thanks to the Nigerian’s first half strike, the Girondins got their second victory of the season at the Matmut Atlantique.

Bordeaux got off to a flying start in the 12th minute with Remi Oudin opening the scoring after curling his direct free-kick past Mauritanian-born Beninese goalkeeper Owolabi Allagbe.

Kalu gave his team a two-goal advantage in the 29th minute. The winger scampered into the goal area of the Owls before curling his strike past a helpless Allagbe.

The duo of Toma Basic and Nicolas De Preville were presented with opportunities to increase Bordeaux lead in the 49th and 51st minute respectively but were unable to beat the visitors’ goalkeeper.

Nevertheless, the maximum points was guaranteed in the 89th minute through Basic who scored from a rebound from Dilane Bakwa’s initial shot.

After putting up an impressive showing, Kalu was substituted for Bakwa in the 77th minute. Josh Mash - who was a torn in the flesh of Dijon’s backline with his endless run - saw just 63 minutes of action before making way for Jimmy Briand. For Senegalese defender Youssouf Sabaly, he was on parade from start to finish.

On the other end, Gabon international Bruno Manga who is Dijon's lasted for the entire duration of the game as well his compatriot Didier Ndong and Morocco’s Fouad Chafik.

Cote d'Ivoire international Roger Assale was handed a starter's role, albeit, he was brought out in the 55th minute for Bersant Celina, while Aurelien Scheidler came in for Guinea Bissau international Mama Balde.

Meanwhile, manager Stephane Jobard did not consider Congo DR's Ngonda Muzinga, Algeria's Yassine Benzia and Cameroon duo of Wilitty Younoussa plus Ahmad Ngouyamsa for selection.

With this result, the Girondins climbed to ninth in the French elite division log with nine points from six games, while Dijon who have lost five of their six games so far this term sit at the base of the log with just one point.

Kalu is part of the Super Eagles squad that will face Algeria and Tunisia in October friendlies billed for Austria.

Memphis Depay has agreed to terms with Barcelona and could complete his transfer as soon as Monday, according to Lyon's sporting director Juninho.

Ronald Koeman has long been linked with a move to bring Depay to Camp Nou this summer, with the former Netherlands manager eager to reunite with the attacker. 

Depay, 26, has been with Lyon since 2017 and played a big role in the club's impressive Champions League run last season as they reached the semi-finals.

But it appears the Dutchman's time in France is set to come to an end with Juninho admitting a transfer to Barcelona to close to being finalised. 

"Memphis? He is in his last year of contract. He agreed with Barca. Maybe he will leave tomorrow, but nothing is certain," Juninho told Telefoot on Sunday. 

"He's most likely to leave, but if he stays I hope he will help us win the matches."

One player Lyon aren't expecting to leave is Jeff Reine-Adelaide with Juninho adding: "Jeff and Depay, they're two different cases. Jeff, we never thought about parting with him. You have to ask him the question. He didn't agree with Hertha [Berlin].

"If he stays with us, I hope he has the personality to react on the pitch. If he agrees with them, he will leave, otherwise he stays."

While Lyon look set to lose at least one player before the transfer window closes, they are trying to sign Juventus full-back Mattia De Sciglio.

Juninho confirming negotiations are in progress for the Italian defender but noting that nothing is concrete in terms of a move. 

"We talk to him. Rudi [Garcia] asked. We are making efforts to give him the player," Juninho said. "Negotiations are advanced, but it is not 100 per cent certain. But maybe it will happen tomorrow."

Lyon had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday with Garcia's side unable to make the most of a red card handed to Dimitri Payet in the 19th minute.

After controversially missing out on a spot in Europe last season, Lyon have made another sluggish start to their league campaign and currently sit 14th in Ligue 1 after six matches with just one win to their name. 

Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar has revealed that his belief that he can help the club on to greater success played a key part in him choosing to ultimately rebuff the advances of Arsenal this transfer window, describing his career so far at the Ligue 1 club as an "adventure".

The 22-year-old has been linked with a move across the English Channel to join the Gunners for much of the off-season, but put paid to questions about his future this weekend as he reportedly reaffirmed his immediate commitment to Rudi Garcia's side.

Mikel Arteta's side saw multiple big-money offers knocked back by the French outfit, who remained adamant that the playmaker was not for sale following a stellar campaign that saw him named in the Champions League Team of the Season.

The Premier League outfit were not the only team thought to be in the hunt for him either, with Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas revealing last month that two other big clubs were pursuing the signature of their academy graduate, with Real Madrid thought to be one of the interested parties.

Aouar, who is widely expected to pick up his first international cap for France in the upcoming international break after being forced to withdraw from the previous squad due to Covid-19, played in his side's 1-1 draw with Marseille on Sunday, and opened up afterwards on his choice to ultimately stay put.

"[Why did I make] my choice to stay in Lyon?" he told his post-match press conference. "I felt that I could still bring something to this team and to this club.

"That's why I have made the choice to continue my adventure with Lyon. I hope we will get up and find our form again quickly."

Lyon have struggled across the early stages of the new season, with just the one win and seven points from their first six games.

Aouar admitted that the run of rough form was frustrating, adding: "We are very disappointed that we did not pick up the three points. This is really what we had to do. We ha to win, especially after our recent results.

"I find it hard to explain why we were not better up front. We can make the gap but we miss the right pass or the right shot. It is something that must be improved as quickly as possible. It is not normal for us."

Danish side SonderjyskE have announced the signing of Ogenyi Onazi on a one-year contract with an option for an extension of two more seasons.

The midfielder left Turkish Super Lig side Denizlispor after only playing nine league games for the club at the end of 2019-20 season.

The Nigeria international has previously featured for Serie A side Lazio and Trabzonspor and will now continue his development in Denmark.

Onazi is delighted with the chance afforded him to play for the Sydbank Park outfit and looks forward to contributing his quota to the success of the club.  

“I am very happy to have signed here in SonderjyskE, and I am grateful that the club has given me this opportunity,” Onazi told the club website.

”I hope I can make a difference and my ambition is to help the team finish as high as possible in the table.

“I am a player who likes to take responsibility and work hard for things, and I will do the same here in SonderjyskE. I am very dedicated to this task and I look forward to playing for the club.”

SonderjyskE Sports director Hans Jorgen Haysen has expressed his side’s delight to secure the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner.

“He is a player with a good CV, and he has played lots of matches in Serie A and in the Turkish league as well as a lot of national matches,” Haysen said.

”Why he is standing here today, it is due to the injury that put a dent in the wheel for him in 2019, and that is our luck because otherwise, we would not have been close to picking up a player with that CV.

“We believe that we can get him back on track, but we are also aware that it may take a few weeks before he is back at full speed for 90 minutes.

“He has been without a club in recent months, so now he must have beaten his form in training and have some ball in his legs again, but fortunately we have a skilled staff that can help him on the right path, and we believe he will be a big win for us.

“He is a central midfielder who has a good drive, he is good on the ball and he can cover a large area. We have been looking for a midfielder who has different prerequisites than those we already have, and it has been crucial that we have brought something in here at the end of the transfer window.”

Onazi could make his debut for his new club when they face Brondby in a league game on October 18.

Former Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren has hit out Liverpool fans reacting poorly on Twitter after their 7-2 defeat against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

After conceding inside four minutes, Jurgen Klopp's side were made to pay for sloppy defending as they let in seven goals in a competitive match for the first time since 1963. 

The Reds were without two key players on Sunday with Sadio Mane ruled out after testing positive to Covid-19, while Alisson was a late withdrawal through injury. 

Some fans looked to target Alisson's replacement Adrian for the heavy loss, but Lovren, who himself was often criticised by Liverpool supporters, was having none of that. 

"Never blame one or two players for a defeat," Lovren tweeted after the match. "There is 11 players on the pitch who work as a TEAM, sometimes there are good and bad days, tomorrow is a new day. Move on!"

Despite his rallying calling, many fans decided to single out certain players in the comments and the defender made a point of calling them out. 

Speaking after the match, Klopp conceded his side 'lost the plot' and weren't just sloppy but simply bad in a game the Reds will want to move on from quickly. 

“We had big chances which we did not use, but when you concede seven I’m not sure you can say it would have been 7-7. We made too many mistakes and massive ones obviously. It started with the first goal and around the goals we made massive mistakes," Klopp told BBC Sport. 

"We lost balls in the wrong area and did not protect properly. It looked like we lost the plot after it went to 1-0. It is not an excuse. Normally you can be 1-0 down and do the stuff you want to do. We created but did not protect ourselves properly so each ball we lost was a massive counter attack.

"That is why we conceded and three goals were deflected. It’s unlucky but it is not a coincidence because it means it was not a proper block. There is nobody to blame apart from me and us."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp declared his team "lost the plot" after conceding inside four minutes against Aston Villa in a 7-2 loss on Sunday in the Premier League. 

The Reds conceded four first-half goals with Ollie Watkins netting a hat-trick inside 45 minutes as Villa strolled to a third straight league win. 

Klopp's side dominated possession but struggled to make the most of their chances and were made to pay in defence by a ruthless Villa, who scored seven times from just 11 efforts on target.

While a monumentally heavy defeat for the reigning Premier League champions, the Liverpool manager concedes he saw such a result coming after conceding so early and continuing to make so many mistakes. 

Asked if he could believe result post-match, Klopp told BBC Sport: "Yes, I saw it. So it is easy to believe because I was here. First of all you have to say that Villa did very well. They were very physical, very smart and very direct, we were not.

"We had big chances which we did not use, but when you concede seven I’m not sure you can say it would have been 7-7. We made too many mistakes and massive ones obviously. It started with the first goal and around the goals we made massive mistakes.

"We lost balls in the wrong area and did not protect properly. It looked like we lost the plot after it went to 1-0. It is not an excuse. Normally you can be 1-0 down and do the stuff you want to do. We created but did not protect ourselves properly so each ball we lost was a massive counter attack.

"That is why we conceded and three goals were deflected. It’s unlucky but it is not a coincidence because it means it was not a proper block. There is nobody to blame apart from me and us.

"Aston Villa were so good. Watkins wow and of course when you give the ball to Jack [Grealish] in a one v one situation on the left he can go either way and create chances.

"Who wants to lose 7-2? Years ago we told ourselves we wanted to create history. That was history but obviously the wrong type."

The shock result sees Liverpool slip to fifth in the Premier League, while Aston Villa are now second despite playing one game less than every other side currently in the top half of the table. 

Frank Lampard believes the in-demand Callum Hudson-Odoi needs to improve off the ball to reach the next level, particularly when it comes to implementing Chelsea's pressing system.

Hudson-Odoi made his first Premier League start since the UK lockdown due to coronavirus in the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

That lack of minutes in the league had prompted Bayern Munich to believe that they could convince Hudson-Odoi to move to the Bundesliga champions.

Chelsea have rejected Bayern's attempt to sign the 19-year-old on loan with a view to a £70 million ($89m) deal for the England international in 2021, with talks set to continue ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday.

With his future in doubt, Lampard was asked to compare Hudson-Odoi with Willian, who left to join Arsenal this summer, and assess his game with the spotlight firmly on the young winger.

"I am not sure I want to compare him to Willian, they both have some aspects but they are not as similar as you might think," Lampard said at Stamford Bridge.

"With Callum, his work off the ball is something I am trying to improve because at this level in the Premier League, you see how we worked last year, and Willian was the first trigger in us winning the ball back.

"He covered so much ground in high areas, at speed, off the ball. Wingers have to have that mindset these days. That's something I put on Callum and he has to improve on little bits and he did better, but he can still do more.

"I think Callum's natural ability is on the ball, taking people on the outside and that's what he can do, and those things will come out as Callum keeps developing. As he builds confidence, he needs to know that I am behind him in that sense because he can bring a lot. Then, we will see a lot more from Callum.

"We have to remember he had a very difficult injury to overcome at a very young age. It is not easy to do that when you are a player with pace, trickery and explosiveness of that nature.

"I think this season Callum can offer a lot for us in those terms because of his natural ability."

Frank Lampard is hoping that he can find a settled Chelsea defence after the partnership of Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma impressed in the 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Silva, signed on a free transfer from PSG, worked well in a new-look backline that featured fellow new signings in goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and left-back Ben Chilwell, alongside Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta.

It was the first clean sheet for Chelsea in the Premier League this season in five attempts and it comes after the Blues conceded 54 league goals last term.

Lampard says he is searching for a more settled defence than last season when the club conceded the highest number of goals since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

"I am really pleased with the clean sheet for everybody involved," Lampard said at Stamford Bridge. "Not just the goalkeeper and the back four but the whole team. We didn't give a really dangerous team away from home any chances to score which was great for the focus of the team.

"Yes, Thiago and Kurt looked very good, very composed. With Thiago, he has great experience and we saw that. It is still early days in terms of fitness, so let's see how that partnership works but I want to find some sort of stability in the back four, of course, you do.

"It needs some competition and those two showed how well they can do it but that needs to continue."

Roy Hodgson's Palace side are known to be dangerous on the counterattack and at set-pieces, and have produced high-profile upsets in recent times, including a win over Manchester United already this season.

Indeed, they competed well with Chelsea in a scoreless first half before their collapse in the second half. Lampard was heard shouting 'move it quicker' in a drab first half and he continues to send a message that his side are still learning to gel after seeing six new signings arrive this summer for a total spend of around £220 million ($275m).

"There's always a big eye on Chelsea as a club and, of course, we brought in players over the window and I understand everyone wants to see it straight away that we come together," he added.

"It is just not the way that football works. What you saw in the first half was control of the game but I felt in the final third, especially in the middle of the pitch, was a little bit slow. It allowed a team as well organised as Palace to just deal with us for most of the first half.

"In the second half, we found Ben Chilwell quicker; we found balls between the lines, we were prepared to go one-on-one with defenders. Those are the things that are going to grow, that's something that I have to drive.

"The players will get better with each other and learn the movements that I want them to make and I think we saw a little snippet of that in the second half but there's a lot of work to do on that.

"As much as I won't get too down as some seem to be after the West Brom and Tottenham games, I won't get too high either. There's a lot of work to be done but today, we saw some nice signs."

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Alisson Becker is likely to be missing for six weeks through injury, but says the Brazilian’s absence was not the reason for the Reds’ incredible 7-2 defeat at Aston Villa.

Alisson was ruled out of the game at Villa Park having damaged his shoulder in training on Saturday. And without their No.1, the reigning champions were taken apart by a confident, well-drilled Villa side.

Ollie Watkins scored a first-half hat-trick and Jack Grealish netted twice after the break to condemn Liverpool to their heaviest defeat since 1963. It is the first time any reigning English champion has conceded seven times in a game since Arsenal in 1953, though in truth the damage could have been even greater given the chances Villa squandered.

Klopp revealed afterwards that Alisson had “no chance” of featuring in Liverpool’s next game, a daunting-looking trip to Goodison to take on early-season pace-setters Everton in a fortnight’s time.

“It could have been worse, for sure, so we were slightly lucky,” Klopp told his post-match press conference. “But he has no chance to play against Everton.

“I don't want to put a timeframe but four weeks is possible, six weeks more likely."

Adrian, Alisson’s deputy, was culpable for Villa’s first goal, gifting the ball to Grealish who played in Watkins to score inside four minutes. The Spaniard, generally, produced a nervy performance, though he was by no means alone in that.

“The first goal was not good but I don’t think he had anything to do with the other goals,” Klopp said. “We didn’t help him tonight. 

“He is a really good goalie. Last year we played 11 games with him and won pretty much all. Tonight our goalie was not the problem. The reaction to the first goal was not his problem, it was our problem.

“It is not often I have seen games like this. I am old enough to know strange things can happen in football. You could see in moments that in challenges Aston Villa wanted it more and that is something I saw and I don’t like.”

Klopp gave credit to Villa, who have now won their opening three games of a top-flight campaign for the first time since 1962-63, but denied suggestions his side’s preparation had been hampered by the absence of Alisson, and positive COVID-19 tests for both Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane.

“That is for the supporters and journalists,” he said. “I don’t need one excuse. 

“Whatever team I had tonight, I would not expect to lose 7-2. Aston Villa did really, really well but we helped as well. A game like this, it should not happen, 100 per cent, but it was nothing to do with the players who missed, or the players who replaced them.” 

He added: “Nothing what I could say tonight could help that result so why should I be completely outraged? 

“Is it a one-off? I would like to think so but the proof of that will be in the next couple of weeks or months. 

“A game like that should not happen, 100 percent. I don’t think I lost that high. It is not a personal defeat but it is a massive one. It is important how we react. The only problem is we cannot react tomorrow. 

“These boys are very self-critical and they know everyone has his hand in this result. We have to deal with it and we will deal with it.”

Ollie Watkins felt he should have scored more than a hat-trick in Aston Villa's scarcely believable 7-2 victory over Liverpool on Sunday.

Villa spent a club-record fee reported to be £28 million ($36m) to sign Watkins from Championship side Brentford in September and he opened his Premier League account with a first-half treble in a remarkable triumph over the reigning champions.

John McGinn was also on target as Dean Smith's team took a 4-1 lead into the break and there was no let-up after half-time, with Ross Barkley and Jack Grealish scoring either side of Mohamed Salah netting his second of the game.

Watkins was denied by Adrian and rattled the crossbar after Grealish doubled his tally as Liverpool's high line and persistent attempts to play an offside trap were punished.

It was the first time in 57 years that Liverpool have conceded seven goals in a game, with the last time England's reigning champions shipped that many occurring in 1953.

"Before the game I wouldn't have thought I'd score three goals, but after the first one I got a bit of confidence and grew into the game," Watkins, who became the 10th player to score a Premier League hat-trick against Liverpool and the first since Dimitar Berbartov in 2010, told Sky Sports.

"I got chances and I should've got more at the end. I don't know if I was offside for one, but I think one-on-one with the keeper I've got to be scoring that. You can always improve and I back myself to score that.

"We saw how high they play and the game plan was to try to get in behind them and you could see it worked. We fancied ourselves today but I'm not sure we thought the scoreline would be like that.

"It was more about blocking off passing lanes and just making sure they can't pass through us. We knew it'd be hard, but we all worked together and it showed tonight.

"A perfect hat-trick as well, the boys were saying at half-time, so I'll take that."

With his trio of goals, one scored with his left, one with his right and one with his head, Watkins took his tally of league goals since the start of last season to 29 – more than any other player in England's top four tiers.

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has called for calm after seeing his side suffer a humiliating 7-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. 

Jurgen Klopp's side were humbled away from home by Villa, who scored four goals in the first 45 minutes and wrapped up the win despite having just 30 per cent of possession across the match. 

This was the first time the Reds have conceded seven goals in any competitive game since 1963, while they are the first reigning English top-flight champions to ship so many goals in a league match since Arsenal did so against Sunderland in 1953.

While a monumentally bad result for Liverpool, Van Dijk was quick to pay respect to Dean Smith's side and called on his team to react appropriately to the defeat. 

"It's hard to lose the way we lost tonight. First and foremost well done to Aston Villa, we have to give them the credit they deserve," Van Dijk told Sky Sports post-match.

"It was one of those performances where we weren't 100 per cent at it from start to finish. The goals we conceded we should have done, but also the chances that we had, we should have done better. Overall we're all disappointed, we shouldn't have lost with the numbers that we did but it's about sticking together and making sure it doesn't happen again.

"You can't take the credit away from Aston Villa, but we should have been more clinical. In all aspects of the game we should have done much better. It's important not to get crazy but we've got to step it up and the performance level between the Arsenal league win and today was too big."

On the absence of Sadio Mane and Alisson, he added: "We prepared well and we played a good game against Arsenal in mid-week. Our preparation was good and we were ready for it before the game. Unfortunately in the game it didn't happen how we wanted it to."

Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins claimed a hat-trick against Liverpool and believes he should have had even more goals to his name. 

"I can’t believe it really. Getting one goal is good but three is unbelievable. I think 1-0 up gives us confidence, we grew into the game and punished them," he told BBC's Match of the Day.

"I came away with a hat-trick but think I could have got more. It is bitter sweet."

Barcelona had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Sevilla despite Philippe Coutinho quickly cancelling out Luuk de Jong's early opener in Sunday's LaLiga clash. 

The two sides entered the match with 100 per cent records from their opening two league matches this term, and there was little to separate them at Camp Nou. 

Sevilla opened the scoring inside eight minutes when De Jong thumped the ball past Neto - the first goal Barca have conceded this season - but Coutinho profited from Jesus Navas' error 105 seconds later to level things up. 

Ronald Koeman's men were put under a lot of pressure in the second half and survived a scare as Ronald Araujo hit his own crossbar, but in the end the contest finished level. 

Sevilla, now winless in 18 LaLiga trips to Barcelona, had gone ahead through De Jong's strike after Suso's left-sided cross was headed down into the forward's path. 

Coutinho responded instantly for Barca with a simple finish after Navas inadvertently set him up, having attempted to cut out Lionel Messi's pass to Jordi Alba. 

Antoine Griezmann prodded wide from a promising opportunity and Ansu Fati, beaten too easily in the build-up to the visitors' opener, tested Yassine Bounou from further out. 

After Diego Carlos nearly scored an own goal, Araujo - filling in for the suspended Clement Lenglet in defence - did likewise at the other end, diverting a low cross against the bar. 

Jules Kounde twice sent headers wide and Youssef En-Nesyri perhaps could have done better with a headed opportunity of his own, as Sevilla looked for the rarest of wins in this fixture.

The hosts also had a late chance, yet Trincao, brought on in place of Griezmann, was unable to get the better of Bounou when racing through on goal.

What does it mean? Winning runs come to an end 

Barcelona beat Villarreal and Celta Vigo without conceding in their first two matches of the Koeman era, though this was always going to be their toughest test yet. 

That proved to be the case, with an in-form Sevilla - unbeaten inside 90 minutes since February - holding their own in terms of possession and edging the shot count (13 to 12). 

Kounde involved at both ends 

It is easy to see why the Sevilla defender is so highly coveted by teams around Europe. 

He completed more passes (77) than any player on the pitch and did not concede a single foul. Perhaps more impressively, considering Messi was on the field, nobody bettered his three attempts. 

Navas gifts equaliser to Coutinho 

The versatile full-back claimed an assist in Sevilla's first two league games and he set up another goal here - albeit for the opposition. 

At full stretch in an attempt to intercept a searching Messi pass towards Alba, Jesus knocked the ball into Coutinho's path and the Barca playmaker had an easy finish. 

What's next? 

Barcelona travel to Getafe in their first LaLiga game back after the international break, while Sevilla are away to Granada.