Liverpool crush Watford, remain unbeaten

High flying Liverpool made light work of Watford as they grabbed a 5-0 victory at Vicarage Road, thanks to a Robert Firmino hat-trick and goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

The win catapulted Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table with 18 points.

Second-placed Chelsea have 16 points to their name and have a match in hand.

No respite despite Ranieri

It was Claudio Ranieri’s first match in charge for Watford after the Hornets parted ways with Xisco Munoz.

But, the hosts could not overturn their form immediately under their new manager as they helplessly succumbed to a scintillating Liverpool side.

Salah send out a preview of what was to come in the rest of the afternoon as early as the second minute.

The Egyptian danced his way into the Watford penalty box, forcing Danny Rose to deflect the ball over the bar.

Rose, however, could not stop Salah the next time as helplessly saw the two-time Premier League Golden Boot dispatching a dangerous ball behind the Watford backline, with Mane in pursuit. 

The Senegal international had been struggling to find his best form lately, but this time he made no mistake!

He latched on to the ball and calmly sent it past Ben Foster to score his 100th goal in the Premier League and hand Liverpool a 1-0 lead in the 8th minute of the game. 

There was no coming back for Watford beyond that point. 

Almost immediately after the opening goal, Liverpool came close to scoring the second.

Salah terrorises Watford

Danny Rose, who had been terrorized by Salah all match long, threw himself on the ground to stop the Liverpool number 11 from getting his shot away.

But, Salah managed to take a goal-bound attempt anyway but had to agonizingly see Foster pushing it away.

The Vicarage Road crowd could sense an imminent second goal, but it was not going to come from the team they were cheering for.

 Liverpool deservingly extended their lead to 2-0 as Mane released Milner on the left-wing. The veteran cut back an inviting ball for Firmino, and the Brazilian made full use of it.

Despite the two-goal cushion, the visitors showed no signs of complacency as Naby Keita hit the woodwork moments later.

The Reds showed even more hunger in the second half as they went 3-0 up only a few minutes after the restart.

Craig Cathcart unwillingly directed an Andy Robertson cross towards his own goal and forced Ben Foster into action.

Foster could not keep the ball in his grips, and Firmino was there to pick up the pieces.

The score turned 4-0 after Salah demonstrated why Liverpool should break the bank to keep hold of him.

The 29-year-old had no trouble capering into the Watford penalty box, despite being outrageously outnumbered.

He miraculously worked his way through a crowded defence and guided the ball into the net with pinpoint precision.

Roberto Firmino completed his hat-trick in the final minutes of the game to pile more misery on Watford.