Six different goalscorers helped Liverpool to a rampant 6-0 win at bottom side Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Returning striker Daniel Sturridge, who netted twice against Villa in the September fixture at Anfield, nodded home the opener in the 16th minute, before James Milner doubled their lead as his cross from a free-kick found the bottom corner.

Emre Can made it 3-0 just before the hour mark with a fine 20-yard effort, Divock Origi then slotted home a fourth having run through on goal, and Nathaniel Clyne hit Liverpool’s fifth from close range as the visitors scored three goals in seven minutes.

Kolo Toure hit Liverpool’s sixth and final goal from a corner, and the result leaves Liverpool in eighth, two points off the top six, while Villa stay bottom, eight points from safety with 12 games remaining.

Villa were unchanged from the side that beat Norwich 2-0 last weekend, while Liverpool striker Sturridge was starting his first Premier League game since October 4, returning alongside Philippe Coutinho and Toure.

And it was Coutinho who fed former Villa youth player Sturridge for the opener on 16 minutes, curling in a superb cross from the left for the England striker, who had got between Villa centre-halves Jores Okore and Joleon Lescott to glance a header into the bottom corner.

Liverpool doubled their lead nine minutes later as Milner, another former Villa man, saw his free-kick from the left go through the crowd in the penalty area and into the bottom corner.

It should have been three moments later as Roberto Firmino found Milner at the far post to head down to Jordan Henderson, but the Liverpool captain’s effort from close range deflected inches wide of the left-hand post.

Villa goalkeeper Mark Bunn then kept the score down before half-time, producing a wonderful save from Sturridge’s fierce effort after the ball had fallen to him 12 yards out.

Liverpool ran riot in the second half, starting with Can’s long-range effort into the bottom left corner after some sloppy defending from Leandro Bacuna allowed him time to shoot.

Five minutes later, Origi netted his second Premier League goal having burst between Villa’s centre-halves to latch onto Coutinho’s through ball, finishing past Bunn from just inside the area as the hosts crumbled.

It was five two minutes later, Clyne scoring his first Premier League goal since November 2014 on the second attempt in front of an open goal after seeing his first close-range effort saved by Bunn.

Henderson’s corner was then headed into the top left corner by an unmarked Toure for Liverpool’s sixth, making it four goals in 13 minutes, and marking their biggest win under Jurgen Klopp.

Villa did hit the post late on through Scott Sinclair’s effort from the edge of the area, but the performance poses more worrying questions as time runs out on their ever-present Premier League tenure.