MATCH WAT THE HELL FACTS Klopp’s left shocked as his champions-elect are devastatingly stung by drop-zone Hornets
LIVERPOOL’S air of invincibility was blown away at Vicarage Road.
Watford’s £30million club-record Senegalese forward Ismaila Sarr bagged a double, before setting up a killer third goal for skipper Troy Deeney, as Nigel Pearson’s side laid waste to Jurgen Klopp’s champions-elect.
It was Liverpool’s first Premier League defeat of the season – and the first time their colours had been lowered in 45 league games stretching back to that devastating loss at Manchester City last January.
It also halted their bid to rack
■ Watford are the first side to beat Liverpool in the League since Man City in Jan 2019, ending the joint-longest winning run (18) and second-longest unbeaten run (44) in English top-flight history. up a record 19th successive, top-flight victory. Klopp said: “They did exactly what they wanted to do, we did not. That’s how football works.
“You have to accept it, it’s not so easy, but it’s the proof we were not good enough.”
And defender Virgil van Dijk said: “The whole season we haven’t lost a game like this. They did very, very well and we should have done better – we want to strike back straight away.”
Liverpool, though, are still a staggering 22 points clear at the top of the table. And this defeat could now hand them the chance to clinch their club’s first title in 30 years against City at the Etihad on April 5 – FA Cup commitments permitting.
Watford’s need for the points was
■ Liverpool’s 0-3 loss was the biggest margin of defeat for a side starting the day top of the PL since Nov 2015 (Man City 1-4 Liverpool).
■ Watford’s victory over Liverpool today was the even more pressing than Liverpool’s after picking up just one point from their previous four games.
This victory took them out of the bottom three and will give them the belief they can pull further away from trouble in the coming weeks.
All three of
Watford’s goals came in an incredible second half.
Sarr, who arrived from French club Rennes last summer, opened the scoring in the 54th minute.
Abdoulaye Doucoure muscled his way beyond Van Dijk as they tussled for Adam Masina’s looping long throw.
And when he crossed low into the heart of Liverpool’s six-yard box, Sarr smuggled himself ahead of Andy Robertson to score.
Six minutes later, he beat Kop keeper Alisson Becker again.
Will Hughes and Deeney combined to put Sarr clear and his lifted finish over Alisson was reminiscent of countryman Sadio Mane at his clinical best.
Deeney put the Watford fans in dreamland on 72 minutes.
This time, Sarr was the provider, intercepting Trent Alexander-arnold’s po ski wit
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