Liverpool 2 Watford 0
A tenth consecutive win takes the Reds to the top of the most important perch of all.
A tenth consecutive win takes the Reds to the top of the most important perch of all.
Twenty minutes into a drab and hence far non-descript game today, Watford’s number 33 Juraj Kucka found himself free and running in toward Liverpool’s goal. It was a half chance, no more, and from an ever widening angle, but he could and maybe should have scored. Instead he drove a fierce shot straight at the advancing Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Coupled with the sharp header on 13 minutes from Cucho Hernandez that Becker saved easily, Watford again could and maybe should have been at least 1–0 if not 2–0 up, and quietening an already eerily quiet and nervous Anfield crowd.
34 seconds after Alisson’s smothering save from Kucka, the ball was in the Watford net ultimately via the head of striker Diogo Jota from a pinpoint cross from Joe Gomez, but also via a wonderful back to front team move as the ball progressed from Alisson’s save to a Man of the Match performing Thiago and his Captain Jordan Henderson before Gomez’s sweeping cross was glanced into the visitors net by the Portuguese marksman Jota. 34 seconds! The length of the field and the breadth of the ending of the Watford dream, all condensed into a gaping chance to take a thoroughly deserved lead (a thoroughly deserved lead) to just over half a minute later, a goal scoring Liverpool strike.
This was hard on Watford. Really hard. As was the VAR ratified penalty with a minute to go that inflated the final score line but was brilliantly smashed into the top corner of the net by Fabinho. The Reds dominated every statistic available and ultimately the 2–0 score line and the statistic that counts above all else. This was yet another win for a Reds team stuck in the uncanny habit of winning games when not playing well and not having to raise themselves above 3rd gear. We could talk football if you wish, and the mere half chances that Liverpool created (all headers) falling to Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and a multitude for Diogo Jota. But this was in all honesty the only examples of the Reds attacking threat today.
Thiago, socks rolled down and eyes darting sideways was the star today, forever keeping the ball moving, keeping his side moving and with his quixotic style, keeping everyone moving with him! It was a stellar display.
The 2–0 score line flattered Liverpool and Watford will rue those early gilt edged chances to score as well as Joao Pedro’s glaring chance on 57 minutes with the score still just 1–0. Set free by Ismaila Sarr, Pedro simply had to score and didn’t, and the visiting “Hornets” will rue these chances as well as the way they set about playing Liverpool in the first half. They posed by far and away the more attacking threat until with Fabinho’s introduction on the hour, the Reds simply passed around their visitors until the Brazilian’s definitive penalty settled the final score line with a minute to go.
Ten consecutive league wins have propelled the Reds to the top of the League, Bill Shankly’s “Bread and Butter”, and the most important perch of all. At the time of writing, Manchester City are on course to reclaim top spot (winning 2–0 away at Burnley at Half-Time), but it matters not. What does indeed matter is yet another 3rd gear win for a team that continues to cruise to wins when even not playing well and, now that we’ve passed the Ides of March and the fools of an opening day in the month of April, Liverpool are still in every competition they entered at the start of the season.
And what a pleasing sentence that is to write at the end of all my articles on the Mighty Reds of Liverpool!
Thanks for reading. There’s a multitude of articles on Liverpool FC within my archives and linked below are 3 of my most recently published odes to the Reds:
7 European trips following the Mighty Reds of Liverpool
Volume 4: Barcelona, Semi-Final, 1st Leg of the 2000/01 UEFA Cup, 4th to 6th April 2001.medium.com
Nottingham Forest 0 Liverpool 1
“Better than Figo don’t you know? Ohhh his name is Diogo!”medium.com
Arsenal 0 Liverpool 2
8 minutes of inspiration. 9 consecutive league wins. 1 point from the lead in a 2 horse Title race.medium.com