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Trent shines, Henderson’s madness and more: Five talking points from Liverpool’s win over Watford

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By Drew Griffin

Trent Alexander-Arnold scores for Liverpool

Liverpool had to fight it out for the three points at Vicarage Road but our quality ultimately showed in the end.

Second half goals from Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino put the gloss on the result and kept us in the chase for the Premier League title.

The Reds have a couple of big matches coming up, but here are the talking points from an eventful game against Watford.

1) Second-half magic saves Liverpool

Its safe to say that first half against Watford was tragic but the second half was magic. We barely got a shot at Ben Foster in the opening 45 and Jurgen Klopp would have had some harsh words to share in the dressing room.

Mohamed Salah scores for Liverpool

Liverpool came out much better in the second half with almost every player turning up. Sadio Mane looked good, so did Roberto Firmino, who finally broke an eight-game duck with the third goal.

Klopp’s boys weren’t great in the game but we certainly deserved the win after our second half performance.

2) Reds ride their luck, again

There was one contentious moment in the second half when Andy Robertson tackled Will Hughes in the penalty box, and it looked like a spot-kick.

The referee turned the other way, as the Scottish defender charged ahead but this was another decision that has gone our way this season.

Dejan Lovren made a late tackle on Sergio Aguero which did not result in a penalty, while Riyad Mahrez blasted a spot-kick above the bar in the same game.

Alisson was also beaten once in this game but the offside flag saved us. Liverpool are riding their luck this season, and we are taking advantage of it all.

3) Henderson’s moment of madness

Jordan Henderson returned to the Liverpool line-up for this huge clash and for 82 minutes, he was doing his normal bit in midfield.

The captain was already on a yellow card and had been warned by the referee before he decided to stop a Watford attack.

The Englishman didn’t wait for the referee’s decision after he fouled the Hornets player and went off in a huff, sending us down to 10 men.

Liverpool held on to score the third goal but this moment could have given the home side the momentum. Now Henderson will miss the Merseyside derby next week, and that could prove costly for us.

4) Defence holds solid

Seeing Lovren starting in place of Joe Gomez would have scared a few given that the Englishman and Virgil van Dijk have looked great so far this season.

However, the Dutch captain and Croatia defender took everything that Watford threw at them and came out on top.

Apart from one or two openings the Hornets had at the start, the Liverpool pair was supreme at the back, and our full-backs were fantastic too.

Robertson and Alexander-Arnold were involved in all the three goals, and our defence certainly helped us win another game, again.

5) Big week coming up for Liverpool

This was the perfect result, if not the perfect performance from the Reds. Watford away was never going to be easy but we got the three points and kept the pressure on the other top teams.

Liverpool Firmino

Liverpool have another tough game in midweek as we play Paris Saint-Germain away. The next tie isn’t easy as we take on Everton in the derby, and it will be important for us to get win both games.

Beating PSG will take us to the next round of the Champions League, while a win over the Toffees is always expected.

Read more: “It would be completely crazy” – Jurgen Klopp refutes claims of summer signing being sold

A tough week has started well, and hopefully, we build on this result.