wicked.football

Liverpool moved top of the Premier League table ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Burnley thanks to a 1-0 win over Watford at Anfield.

The Reds were not at their usual free-flowing best as they returned from the international break. Indeed, they had several stars playing after a short turnaround.

Nevertheless, Watford more than played their part in keeping Jurgen Klopp’s team at bay. They didn’t offer their hosts too many clear-cut chances and it fell to Diogo Jota to net the first goal.

The Portugal forward, who scored against Turkey last Thursday, netted a winning glanced header from a brilliant Joe Gomez cross. That was his fourth goal in five games and his 20th for Liverpool this season. Fabinho netted Liverpool’s second from the penalty spot late on in the second half.

As for who else stood out, Watford left-back Hassane Kamara was Watford’s best player. He didn’t give Mohamed Salah a sniff in a rare off day against the Hornets for Salah.

Up the other end, Juraj Kucka and Joao Pedro had Watford’s best chances, but they could not get past Alisson Becker.

Liverpool

Alisson Becker: Had little to do in the first half, but his save from Kucka was vital before Liverpool scored 34 seconds later. 6/10.

Joe Gomez: Enjoyed a solid first portion of the game, capped off by his brilliant cross for Jota’s opener. Sloppier from there, though, and ended the half with a yellow card. Another great second-half cross almost produced another Jota goal. 7.

Joel Matip: Solid in defence for Liverpool alongside Virgil van Dijk. 7.

Virgil van Dijk: Did well to handle Ismaila Sarr and made some impressive long, direct passes forward. Missed a headed chance to make it 2-0 early in the second half. 7.

Andy Robertson: Lively up and down the pitch, but his end product could have been better. Poor again going forwards in the second half, but mucked in defensively when required. 5.

Curtis Jones: A few nice touches here and there, but sometimes caught in two minds with options to shoot or pass and shot over again after the break. 4.

Jordan Henderson : Industrial in midfield to keep Liverpool ticking over and continued in that vein. 6.

Thiago Alcantara: A composed presence for Liverpool in midfield with delicate touches and a range of effective passing. Failed with a few shooting opportunities. 6.

Mohamed Salah: Struggled against Hassane Kamara down the right wing for Liverpool and never got a look in before the break. 4.

Roberto Firmino: Nipped in with a few good tackles to get Liverpool on the transition going forwards, connecting midfield to attack. Could have shown better decision-making in the final third with late opportunities to kill Watford off. 5.

Diogo Jota: Initially had a hard time in his battle with Kiko Femenia and blazed his only half-chance over. However, his movement for the opener was good and his glanced header even better. Missed further chances to score with his head, but won Liverpool their penalty. 8.

Substitutes:

Fabinho (on for Jones, 62): Didn’t have to show too much of his defensive attributes with Liverpool dominating the ball, but got the second goal which killed Watford off. 7.

Sadio Mane (on for Salah, 69): Had a few chances to score but never really threatened. 5.

James Milner (on for Thiago, 90+1): N/A.

Watford

Ben Foster: Made a good save in the first half, but was part of a Watford defensive mix-up for the opening goal. 5.

Kiko Femenia: Solid in keeping Jota in check early on, but did not communicate the potential goal threat to his fellow defenders before Jota’s header. Did well to track Salah well when it was his turn. 5.

Christian Kabasele: Some good clearances as Watford stood firm for the first 20 minutes, but ended up getting in Foster’s way when Gomez’s cross came in for 1-0. Great defensive header in the second half with Jota steaming in behind him. 5.

Samir: Played his part in defending Liverpool well before the first goal. 5.

Hassane Kamara: One of Watford’s best players in the first half as he didn’t give Salah a sniff. But, could have got tighter to Gomez before his cross. Continued to harry Salah with success in the second half. 7.

Moussa Sissoko: Some good touches and passes and a great tackle on Robertson inside the penalty area. 5.

Imran Louza: Quiet in the Watford midfield, with the Hornets’ defending almost always happening out wide. 4.

Juraj Kucka: Up there alongside Kamara as another of Watford’s best players in the first half. Made important tackles and passes and had Watford’s best chance when his shot was saved by Alisson. However, he had no intention to go for the ball when tackling Jota to the ground for Fabinho’s penalty. 5.

Ismaila Sarr: Blazed a half-volley well over early on and was quiet from there before the break. Set Pedro up for his chance after the break. 5.

Joao Pedro: Great one-two to set Kucka on his way for his chance and gave a good account of himself. Shot wide Watford’s best second-half effort. 5.

Cucho Hernandez: Glanced a header from an early corner straight at Alisson and mucked in defensively amid a clash of heads with Matip, who was steaming onto a header himself.  A nice ball over the top to set up Pedro’s chance in the second half. 6.

Substitutes:

Emmanuel Dennis (on for Cucho, 78): Made little impact in the final third. 4.

Tom Cleverley (on for Louza, 78): Could not affect the game in the way Roy Hodgson would have wanted, with Watford chasing a result. 4.

Joshua King (on for Pedro, 78): Had little impact as Watford sat deep and struggled to get out in the final 10 minutes. 4.

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