Aston Villa 1-4 Liverpool: 5 talking points as Villa's kids fall to the Reds | FA Cup 2020-21

#3 Can Louie Barry make an impact in Villa’s first team this season?

Villa youngster Louie Barry took his goal impressively tonight.

When tonight’s Aston Villa side was named, most fans – even hardcore Villans – probably hadn’t heard of many of the players. The one name they probably might’ve recognized was striker Louie Barry.

Signed from Barcelona’s academy last January for a fee of £880k, the boyhood Aston Villa fan – who turned 17 in the summer – reportedly raised eyebrows in a lockdown friendly against Leicester last summer. Brendan Rodgers was apparently impressed by him.

Tonight’s match saw him barely given a kick, as Liverpool forced his teammates to defend deep into their own half for the majority of the game. But when Barry was given a chance, boy did he take it.

Played through by Callum Rowe, the 17-year-old still had work to do. But he shrugged off a potential challenge from Rhys Williams, sprinted into the box, and calmly slotted the ball past Caoimhin Kelleher into the net.

It was a truly wonderful goal that will probably be replayed for years to come – and was reminiscent of a young Michael Owen, in fact.

The big question now becomes whether Barry has enough about him to make an impact in Villa’s first team this season. Sure, he didn’t have a chance to prove much tonight, but judging by his goal, he’s a calm and natural finisher.

And with Villa short of forward options outside of Ollie Watkins, that ability could be enough for Dean Smith to name him on the bench in his side’s upcoming fixtures.

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#4 Is COVID-19 about to ruin the season?

A COVID-19 outbreak robbed Aston Villa of stars like Jack Grealish for tonight's game.

When it was announced that Aston Villa had seen a serious COVID-19 outbreak this week and had been forced to close their training ground, it was hardly something new. However, to see Villa’s entire first team – as well as their coaches and backroom staff – forced into self-isolation was more than a little worrying.

Sure, Villa got through tonight’s game by playing their youth team, but they also have a Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur coming up on Wednesday.

And given that other Premier League sides – namely Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Fulham – have been allowed to postpone games during lesser outbreaks than this, it’d be hard to blame the Villans for expecting the same.

But if the game between Villa and Spurs is postponed, then where exactly will the Premier League hope to fit it in? After all, both teams are already behind in their schedule – Villa by two games and Spurs by one. And Spurs also have the Europa League, EFL Cup, and FA Cup to contend with.

At this point, it might be worth considering the options for the season. Should the Premier League force teams who need to postpone to forfeit games? Or is it time to pause the season and put pressure on UEFA to cancel this summer’s European Championship again?

Most fans hoped we wouldn’t have to get to this stage – but after this week’s events, it almost seems unavoidable.

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#5 Are Liverpool taking the FA Cup seriously this season?

Jurgen Klopp was criticized for his behavior in last season's FA Cup, so is he making amends this time around?.

While it’s worth questioning Liverpool’s choice of starting XI tonight, one explanation could be that the Reds are taking the FA Cup seriously this season. If that is the case, it may make sense given the controversy around Liverpool’s FA Cup campaign in 2019-20.

For those who’ve forgotten, Jurgen Klopp drew plenty of criticism when he sent a squad filled with U-23 players to a fourth-round replay with League Two side Shrewsbury Town. The German tactician refused to attend the game himself to give his first-team squad a breather.

Liverpool won that replay and eventually fell to Chelsea in the fifth round. And while they comfortably won the Premier League title, their performance in the FA Cup definitely left a sour taste with some fans.

So was tonight’s team and performance almost a way of Klopp showing that in 2020-21, he is taking the cup seriously? It’s possible. After all, the German boss has won both the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool. But the FA Cup has its own history and is massively well-regarded in English football.

For Klopp to bring the FA Cup to Liverpool for the first time since the famous Gerrard Final in 2005-06 would be a great achievement in its own right. Perhaps we’ll learn more about his intentions in the fourth round.