PREMIER LEAGUE, you’re having a laugh, sang the away supporters. But nobody at Liverpool will be smiling this morning.

If the testing summer hadn’t already made it apparent, the Anfield faithful may now be inclined to lower their expectations this season.

A mere 10 days into the new term, Liverpool have already lost as many Premier League games as they did the whole of the previous campaign.

That wasn’t enough to win the title. And already six points adrift of pace-setters Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, the portents offer little encouragement this time around.

Of course, championships aren’t won in August; but they can certainly be lost.

While Aston Villa will claim a famous victory, these three points came gift-wrapped courtesy of a poor Liverpool performance.

This defeat ended a 31-game unbeaten home run, but it’s the manner in which his team surrendered that proud record that will be of greater concern to Benitez.

All the suspected shortcomings of this Liverpool side were painfully apparent. The reliance on Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. The minimal options from the bench due to a lack of funds to strengthen the squad. The lack of genuine creativity from central midfield.

Alberto Aquilani will no doubt make a difference once he recovers from injury, but at this rate the Italian’s contribution may be an irrelevance in terms of the title race.

Lucas is currently helping fulfil that particular role and has been Liverpool’s most consistent performer in recent weeks.

Yet it was his unfortunate own goal that set Villa on their way on 34 minutes, with the lead doubled on the stroke of half-time through a contentious Curtis Davies header.

Few Liverpool players polarise supporter opinion as much as Lucas, and the Brazilian’s character and confidence will be tested by his aberration and subsequent substitution.

Although Torres pulled a goal back, Ashley Young’s 75th-minute penalty ensured Villa’s first victory over Liverpool since winning here by the same scoreline in September 2001.

Benitez’s side earned a reputation as the Premier League’s most resilient team last season by picking up 22 points after going behind in games.

And Liverpool will have to dig deep once again if they are to drag their title challenge back on to the rails.

Torres may have scored but he cut a frustrated figure for much of the evening, unhappy at a lack of protection by referee Martin Atkinson and, despite warnings from Benitez last week to curb his temper, booked for dissent late on.

And with Gerrard suffering a rare off-night – summed up by the manner in which he conceded Villa’s penalty – Liverpool had to look elsewhere for creativity and forward threat. It was not forthcoming, the chances created during the final quarter too little, too late.

Liverpool had thrashed Villa 5-0 during the title run-in last season and, with Martin O’Neill’s side having won only two of their final 13 league games last season and started the new campaign with successive defeats, everything pointed to a comfortable home win.

That, though, did not legislate for a truly shocking first-half performance from Benitez’s men for which their efforts after the break could not atone.

Injuries couldn’t be used as an excuse. With Martin Skrtel recovered from the clash of heads with Jamie Carragher sustained at White Hart Lane the previous week, Liverpool were at full strength.