Liverpool weren’t at their best but they got the job done against Watford. Last season’s 3-3 draw at Vicarage is a thing of the distant past as the Reds ran out 3-0 winners with goals in the second half.
Watford were always in the game but Mohamed Salah scored the opener in the 67th minute after a brilliant cross from Sadio Mane.
Trent Alexander-Arnold made it two via a brilliant free-kick and just when things looked comfortable for us, Jordan Henderson was sent off after two bookable offences.
As Watford tried to score a goal, we hit them on the counter with Roberto Firmino heading the ball into the net after a Mane shot was well-saved.
The win keeps us in Manchester City’s shadow and we must now prepare for a huge clash against PSG in the Champions League.
Here are the player ratings from a tough evening at Vicarage Road.
Alisson Becker – 7.5/10
The Brazilian made a couple of quality saves but wasn’t troubled much in the game, thanks to our defence.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8.5/10
Trent had a slow start to the game but came to the party with a fantastic free-kick in the second half.
Dejan Lovren – 8/10
The Croatian was excellent at the back and even though he went up against Troy Deeney, the defender came out on top.
Virgil van Dijk – 8.5/10
Van Dijk was supreme at the back as he won almost every single header for the Reds.
Andy Robertson – 8/10
Robertson created the third goal with a great run at the end of the game and his crosses were great too.
Jordan Henderson – 6/10
The captain put us in a spot of bother with a couple of crazy challenges. There can be no arguments about the two yellows, and Hendo will miss the Merseyside derby.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 7.5/10
This wasn’t Wijnaldum’s greatest game but he did an alright job in the midfield and kept things ticking.
Xherdan Shaqiri – 7.5/10
Shaqiri was running about and trying his level best to get things going for the Reds. The Swiss couldn’t score but had a decent outing for the team.
Roberto Firmino – 8/10
The Brazilian was missing in the first half but played a great pass for the first goal and was happy to nod in the third with a late header.
Sadio Mane – 8/10
Mane had a hand in two goals and also had a couple of shots that were well-saved by the Watford keeper.
Mohamed Salah – 8/10
The Egyptian was the one making most of the runs and it was great that he got the opener and made things easier for us.
Substitutes
James Milner – 5/10
The Englishman did alright after coming on and kept things calm.
Fabinho – N/A
A late sub to shore things up at the back.
Joel Matip – N/A
Came on to replace Firmino late in the game.
