Liverpool turned on the style to put six goals past Aston Villa and climb back up to eighth place in the Premier League table this afternoon.

Six different scorers featured in the 6-0 thrashing at Villa Park, including the returning Daniel Sturridge who opened the scoring for his side early on.

Any hopes Villa had of overturning a two-goal deficit at the interval soon faded away, as a rampant Reds side with just one league win in six heading into today's game ran riot in the West Midlands.

It was a true Valentine's Day Massacre for the hosts - their worst defeat at Villa Park in some 81 years, which leaves them eight points from safety with time fast running out.

It took until the 16-minute mark before the first attempt of any note arrived, and it led to the breakthrough moment as Sturridge got on the end of a lofted Philippe Coutinho cross and nodded the ball beyond Mark Bunn.

The Englishman celebrated his first top-flight start of the Jurgen Klopp era in style, with what was his fifth goal in four appearances against the division's bottom side.

Less than two minutes later ex-Villa midfielder James Milner made it two when sending in a whipped free kick that found its way into the far corner without a touch.

Liverpool were beginning to show a more prolific streak to their game thanks to their two goals from two attempts, while up the other end Ashley Westwood blasted well wide on the volley from his side's only shot of the half.

Klopp's charges were beginning to enjoy themselves as the half progressed, moving up another gear in the closing stages of the opening 45 minutes and coming close to a second through Alberto Moreno.

The flying full-back linked up well with in-form Roberto Firmino down the left, before being played into space inside the area and testing Bunn at his near post.

Sturridge had a chance of his own to put the game out of reach for good with the last meaningful act of the half, only for Bunn to palm away his curler at the end of a cleared Milner cross.

Liverpool may have squandered an identical lead in their last league outing but, an awkward Leandro Bacuna shot aside, there was no sign of a surprise comeback being on the cards.

Any lingering hopes home supporters did have of seeing their side show some fighting spirit to keep their survival aspirations alive soon evaporated, however, as Liverpool went on a 13-minute scoring blitz.

Emre Can let rip with a belter of a strike from the edge of the box to bag his first league goal of the campaign, before Coutinho thread the ball in behind for Divock Origi to join the party just 37 seconds after coming on.

There was far worse to come for the Villans when Nathaniel Clyne had two bites of the cherry, as a free kick into the box was once more poorly dealt with, allowing the full-back to convert after seeing his initial shot from close range kept out.

A welcome six-minute respite followed, but Kolo Toure piled on further misery when being given the simple task of diverting Jordan Henderson's corner when left completely unmarked eight yards out.

Villa had not previously conceded five or more goals in a home league match since April 1991, adding to what has been a real season to forget for Remi Garde and his men.

Christian Benteke was introduced against his former club with the tie well over, but it was Villa who came closest to adding the game's seventh goal after Scott Sinclair sent a shot back off the crossbar.

That proved to be it in terms of the contest's major talking points, although the game was over long before that point as Klopp's men picked up their biggest win of the campaign.