This match against Watford coming after a two-week international break with Liverpool players only just arriving back to the UK from all corners of the world, many having experienced the emotional highs of lows of World Cup qualification – notably Sadio Mané for Senegal and Mo Salah for Egypt – and starting at 12:30 lunchtime, when players and crowd traditionally find it hard to rouse themselves, had all the potential for a banana skin for the Reds.
This was even more true given that Watford – in desperate trouble at the bottom of the league and needing to fight for every point – under the management of veteran Roy Hodgson, replacing the hapless Claudio Ranieri in January, have shown good signs of revival. Well organised, aggressive, trusting in the system, Watford proved their quality in their last outing, defeating Southampton away 2-1.
Indeed, the game unfolded as predicted, with Liverpool weary and Watford looking comfortable at the back and threatening on the break.
Yet again the decisive moment of the game came with a terrific trademark save from Alisson Becker, blocking one on one as Juraj Kucka bore down on goal, which was immediately followed by Liverpool going up the other end of the pitch and scoring.
On 23 minutes, found by Jordan Henderson on the right, Joe Gomez, playing instead of the hamstrung Trent Alexander Arnold, put in a pacy, accurate cross that the usual right-back would have been proud of, onto the run of Diogo Jota, whose glancing header ended up in the corner of the net.
In the past, Liverpool, both home and away, have scored hatfuls of goals against Watford but this was never going to be the case today. Despite Jota’s goal, the Reds were restricted to long-range shots – from Jota and Curtis Jones (in for Fabinho) – that invariably went way over the bar and set-piece headers off-target.
The second half saw, on the hour, Fabinho come on for Jones – who did well in places but was frustrating elsewhere – and Liverpool have control of the game without being able to finish Watford off.
Another chance came Watford’s way to equalise when Joao Pedro found himself through on goal only to screw the ball just past the far post when he should have scored. Drawing level would not have flattered Watford.
Not even the introduction, in place of the lacklustre Salah, of Mané, rested after his heroics midweek for Senegal, scoring the winning penalty to take his country to the World Cup ahead of Egypt – the West Africans, again, overcoming the North Africans in a major encounter, having defeated them in the Africa Cup of Nations final – gave Liverpool the impetus to put the game to bed.
Indeed, it was only a fortunate penalty decision in the 89th minute that calmed Red nerves, Kucka wrestling Jota to the ground off the ball at a corner, the referee only giving the spot kick on the advice of the VAR.
With Salah off, Fabinho stepped up and took the perfect penalty, high to Ben Foster’s right in the top corner of the net to secure the victory.
The win temporarily put Liverpool top of the table, a point ahead of Manchester City, playing lowly Burnley in a 3:00 pm kickoff. The reigning champions did what they had to do, defeating the Clarets 2-0 to retake top spot and setting up next weekend’s home clash against Liverpool, the outcome of which will go some way to telling us who will end up as Premier League winners.
