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Watford vs Liverpool result: In-form Mohamed Salah inspires late rout as Reds recover from sluggish start

Watford 0-3 Liverpool: Salah’s ninth goal of the season finally ended the home side's resistance before Alexander-Arnold added insult to injury with a superb free-kick to double Liverpool’s lead and Firmino headed a late third

Steve Madeley
Vicarage Road
Saturday 24 November 2018 17:54 GMT
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Liverpool 2018/19 Premier League profile

Mohamed Salah once more proved the scourge of Watford as Liverpool claimed a 3-0 victory at Vicarage Road to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

The Egyptian netted his sixth goal in three games against the Hornets before Trent Alexander-Arnold added a stunning second and Roberto Firmino a third to help the Reds stir from a sluggish opening hour and claim victory despite Jordan Henderson’s late red card.

Yet their victory game with a sizable slice of controversy with Watford denied a seemingly blatant penalty at 0-0, leaving home fans singing ‘2-0 to the referee’ once their visitors had taken full advantage.

For a while it appeared Liverpool would be frustrated by a spirited Watford side who were denied a spot-kick when Will Hughes was caught by Andy Robertson.

But Salah’s ninth goal of the season finally ended their resistance before Alexander-Arnold added insult to injury with a superb free-kick to double Liverpool’s lead and Firmino headed a late third for Klopp’s men.

Watford had the ball in the net early as Gerard Deulofeu raced onto a flick-on and beat Alisson Becker with a low shot but his effort was ruled out for offside.

And the hosts held their own against Klopp’s side for much of the opening 25 minutes with the visitors lacking their usual cohesion in attack.

They threatened briefly when Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster misjudged a cross from Mo Salah but managed to get enough of his fingertips on the ball to help it for a corner.

Mo Salah celebrates his opening goal

Liverpool’s best chance of the opening spell came from a free-kick, delivered from the right by Xherdan Shaqiri, which almost found Georginio Wijnaldum, only for the Dutchman to swing and miss as he stretched in the centre of the goalmouth.

Liverpool enjoyed a brief spell of dominance around the half-hour mark but the game remained a messy, disjointed affair as half-time approached with the hosts successfully nulifying the visitors’ movement and quick passing.

There was a brief moment of encouragement for the Reds when Roberto Firmino caught Etienne Capoue in possession but fired a low shot too close to Foster.

And Watford broke immediately with Roberto Pereyra seizing on a loose pass and drawing a smart save from Alisson.

Trent Alexander-Arnold scored the second

Watford, however, needed two smart saves from Foster to keep Klopp’s men at bay just before half-time.

First he scrambled low to his left to turn a Sadio Mane shot behind for a corner, from which Salah connected well with a header a forced Foster to save low to his right.

Ten minutes into the second half Watford should have been awarded a penalty when slack play from Liverpool allowed the hosts to find Will Hughes in the penalty area.

Andy Robertson lunged to win the ball and caught the Watford midfielder, who hit the turf and was astonished to see referee Jon Moss dismiss his appeals for a spot-kick.

Roberto Firmino made it three

Firmino might have opened the scoring for the Reds on 63 minutes when he arrived at the far post to meet a cross by Dejan Lovren, but a difficult chance went begging when Firmino’s touch let him down.

The breakthrough finally arrived on 67 minutes, however, as Liverpool’s much-vaunted attacking players finally found a telling connection.

Firmino’s clever disguised pass released Mane on the left and his pass was bundled towards goal by Salah, who watched the all squirm through Foster’s grasp and over the line.

It was 2-0 with 14 minutes remaining as Alexander-Arnold turned on the style.

The visitors were awarded a free-kick more than 25 yards out and the young full-back curled a free-kick over the wall and into the top corner past a flat-footed Foster.

Henderson saw red in the closing stages when the Liverpool captain, already on a booking after a first-half caution, body-checked Capoue and accepted his inevitable fate.

In the closing stages the third goal arrived as Robertson’s powerful run down the left saw him pick out Mane, whose shot was saved by Foster, only for Firmino to head home the rebound for his first league goal in two months.

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