SADIO MANE had a goal disallowed because VAR ruled his HIP was offside.
Yet a nervous-looking Liverpool won by the skin of their teeth in an incredibly disjointed performance.
Mo Salah’s first half strike set the Reds on their way to victoryCredit: EPA
Mo Salah’s scored a brilliant first half goal before he got the second with an even better, cheeky flick in the 90th minute.
But you have to give Watford a hell of a lot of credit. They looked much better under new boss Nigel Pearson but wasted a lot of chances and then in the last 10 minutes, made the home team work for their three points before Salah’s latest moment of genius.
Liverpool are now unbeaten in the Premier League for 34 games although you would never have thought 37 points separate these teams in what proved to be a fascinating yet ugly match.
Jurgen Klopp made a few changes with James Milner and Joe Gomez coming into the defence and Xherdan Shaqiri starting in midfield.
It was a big day for 18-year-old Neco Williams, who makes the Liverpool match day squad for the first time in the Premier League
Watford had lost 5-0 in the previous two seasons and then 6-1 the year before that – so this was certainly a massive improvement.
It was hardly a surprise the visitors defended extremely deeply in the first half while even after about 20 minutes, keeper Ben Foster was guilty of wasting time.
Abdoulaye Doucoure then wasted a golden chance for Watford but miscued his effort and a minute later, Salah opened the scoring.
Sadio Mane thought he’d bagged Liverpool a second… before VAR intervenedCredit: Getty – Contributor
Watford lost possession from a corner and 15 seconds later, the ball was in the back of their own net. Will Hughes delivered a poor header and Bobby Firmino released Mane with a clever overhead kick.
Mane fed Salah who turned Kiko Femenia inside out before lifting the ball into the top corner with his so-called weaker right-foot. The wind, it seemed, helped make his shot impossible for Foster to save.
Three minutes before the break, Watford had an unbelievable chance but Ismaila Sarr, who cost £25million from Rennes, delivered a comical miskick when he really should have scored.
Mane thought he had made it 2-0 five minutes into the second half thanks to a powerful header but it was ruled out by VAR due to his hip being offside.
Watford were wasteful in front of goalCredit: Getty – Contributor
There was a blow for Liverpool as Gini Wijnaldum hobbled off due what appeared a knee injury with Andy Robertson coming on.
And with 10 minutes to go, Virgil van Dijk had a brain freeze and delivered a terrible pass back to Alisson which went out for a corner – and Deulofeu then hit the post from the resulting set-piece.
But at the end, Divock Origi scuffed his shot and Salah – who also scored a stunning goal against Salzburg in midweek – flicked the ball through his legs and nutmegged Chrstian Kabasele.
Salah’s late flick sealed the points for the RedsCredit: Getty – Contributor
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is happy to stay at the club as he signs new five-year contract
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
