Five talking points from Liverpool's 3-0 win against Watford on Saturday
Sunday 25 November 2018 18:20, UK
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a stunning free kick as Liverpool hit some important milestones on Saturday. We take a look at five talking points from the Reds' 3-0 win against Watford.
Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino also got on the scoresheet at Vicarage Road, while captain Jordan Henderson was sent off in the 82nd minute for a second yellow card.
The result keeps Liverpool in the hunt at the top of the table while Watford remain in the middle of the pack, and we have picked out some of the talking points from the Premier League clash...
Henderson's sending-off was arguably the biggest moment in the game and while it did not affect Saturday's outcome too much, it will have a big impact over the next eight days, with the Liverpool captain suspended for next weekend's Merseyside derby, live on Sky Sports.
They were two silly fouls from Henderson - who had just returned to the Liverpool XI after injury - with the first on Isaac Success a knee-jerk reaction to his shirt being pulled and the second an unnecessary tackle on Etienne Capoue on the touchline.
Henderson had also been criticising decisions made by referee Jon Moss and a mere minute before he was shown a red card, the official had given him a final warning on his behaviour after another outburst. Indeed, Klopp appeared to have seen the danger of a sending-off and revealed he was about to substitute Henderson for Fabinho, but the captain was down the tunnel before the switch could be made.
But Jurgen Klopp seemed fairly unconcerned by the incident. Henderson is still available for the midweek trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Klopp has great options to fill the captain's boots, with either James Milner or Fabinho - who were both on the bench on Saturday - likely to come in alongside Georginio Wijnaldum.
It was a wonderful moment for Alexander-Arnold as he curled home a beautiful free kick in the 76th minute, seeing him celebrate wildly in front of the travelling fans.
Soccer Saturday pundit Matt Le Tissier called the strike "absolutely outstanding", while former Reds winger Luis Garcia called it "class" on Twitter.
The right-back made a personal record too, as he registered goal involvements in consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time, assisting against Fulham before scoring against Watford.
It is hard to believe the defender is still only 20 years old with 60 Liverpool appearances, a Champions League final and a World Cup already under his belt. His future is incredibly bright and he can only get better.
Despite being a man down for the final 10 minutes or so, Klopp still hailed the result at Vicarage Road as "perfect" in his post-match interview, and Liverpool continue to reach impressive milestones in their season.
The Reds are unbeaten in their opening 13 matches of a Premier League season for the first time since 2007/08 and their tally of 33 points from 13 games is their highest ever tally since the Premier League began.
Klopp has overseen a complete overhaul of their defence too, with Liverpool having conceded the fewest goals after this many matches of a league season (5).
They remain two points behind Manchester City at the top of the table and so far, are managing to keep pace, although Klopp is not focused on what Pep Guardiola's side are doing - yet - telling Sky Sports: "I don't think Man City are too bothered about what we are doing as we aren't too bothered about what they are doing. We won our game, it is all we could do."
It was a somewhat strange game for Xherdan Shaqiri. He was Liverpool's best attacking player in a rather dreary first half, although the staunch defensive performance from Watford meant his brilliant crosses and passes into the area - of which there were quite a few - went unconverted.
The Hornets clearly spoke about his threat at half-time as he was quieter after the break while the shackles were loosened on his other attacking team-mates and he ended the game without a goal or assist, despite shining in the opening 45 minutes.
But he continues to prove his worth with Liverpool, despite being touted as the ultimate squad player when he arrived from Stoke in the summer, with his £13.5m fee looking an absolute bargain for the Reds. As their fixture list starts to pile up over the busy festive period, Shaqiri is sure to be invaluable as Klopp looks to rotate his squad.
Javi Gracia has his own opinion on this, telling Sky Sports: "In the second half, they scored and I think the match was closer than the scoreline but we accept and continue... I think we played well for 65 minutes."
It's hard to disagree with the Watford manager. The Hornets executed their game plan well until Salah's opening goal - pack the midfield, keep it narrow and hit Liverpool on the break - and you have to feel for goalkeeper Ben Foster, who made some superb saves during the game.
He denied Salah three times in the first half - as well as efforts from Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane - but will feel he could have done better with the Egyptian's opener as it ricocheted off his shin on the way through. There was nothing he could do about Alexander-Arnold's free kick, and he did make a save during the build-up to the third, but a lack of Watford defenders in the area meant he could not prevent the rebound.
But Watford really need more going forward if they are to trouble sides like Liverpool and despite having Success, Troy Deeney and Andre Gray on the field towards the end of the game, they did not look like scoring. As Gracia prepares to sign a new deal at Watford, it could be time for a shake up on the field too.
