Watford 3-0 Liverpool
Watford caused the shock of the Premier League season by ending Liverpool's unbeaten run with a resounding 3-0 win at Vicarage Road.
Both sides made a couple of changes apiece, Kiko Femenia and Ismaila Sarr returning for the hosts, while Dejan Lovren and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got the nod for the Reds who were still without Jordan Henderson.
Watford started well, Gerard Deulofeu forcing a save from Alisson before firing over but it was a different story for the Premier League leaders, who struggled to impose themselves.
However, the main talking point from the first half was the injury to Deulofeu who caught his studs in the turf as he jostled with Virgil van Dijk and after five minutes of treatment, was eventually stretchered off.
Liverpool’s lacklustre showing continued after the break and they were punished on 54 minutes when after falling asleep from a throw-in, Abdoulaye Doucoure ducked in on the left and helped it onto Sarr who finished well from close range.
Klopp’s side barely reacted and their lethargy was again their undoing on the hour when Troy Deeney refused to give up on a lost cause. The striker slid in to keep a ball in play and his intervention found Sarr who outpaced Lovren and Van Dijk before chipping the goalkeeper.
Liverpool responded with the introduction of Adam Lallana and the midfielder made an almost immediate impact in striking the post with a fine left-footed volley.
That should have inspired the Reds but didn’t it was 3-0 on 72 minutes. Once again it was the Sarr-Deeney combination that struck, the Senegalese latching onto Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wayward backpass and showed good composure to keep Alisson at bay before rolling to his skipper who fired into the empty net.
There was no comeback for the Reds who will look to reset when they face Chelsea in the FA Cup on Tuesday.
For Watford, they are out of the bottom three and while they will now be hoping for positive news on Deulofeu, Nigel Pearson will be looking to channel the energy they showed against the league leaders in this 3-0 win as they continue to battle the drop.
