Liverpool 2-0 Watford: Premier League – live! | Football

Diogo Jota, who scored the opener from Joe Gomez’s Trentesque cross, talks to BT Sport. “It was the beginning of a new cycle today. People were coming from all over the world, and an early kick off is not easy, but we did our job. I told Joe before the game he was going to get an assist! I was confident and fortunately for us it happened.”

Gomez adds: “That’s the nature of the Premier League. No game is going to be easy, and they put up a tough fight. They’re organised and well drilled, and it was tough until the end. Jots said that would happen before the game, so he might have spoke that into existence for me! We have to push each other each week. We have to train well and wait for our opportunities.”

Jurgen Klopp, more relieved than thrilled, punches the air in front of the Kop. That’s a huge result with consequences at both ends of the table. Liverpool go two points clear of Manchester City, who kick off against Burnley at 3pm. Down at the bottom, Watford remain in the drop zone, and have now played three games more than 17th-placed Everton, though their resolute display today should give them some hope for the remainder of their struggle.

It was tense and not particularly pretty, but it’s three precious points for Liverpool, who go top of the league for a couple of hours at least. Over to Manchester City.

90 min +3: Jota dribbles down the middle and flicks towards Mane, just inside the box. Mane tries to round Foster, but doesn’t get enough on the ball and the keeper claims well. Three would have been harsh on Watford, who have been staunch and will take heart ahead of the rest of their relegation battle.

90 min +2: “Liverpool, Liverpool, top of the league,” sing the home fans, finally finding their voice. For a couple of hours at least, anyway. Manchester City will have an opportunity to address that situation at Turf Moor in about 40 minutes’ time.

90 min: Thiago comes on for Milner. There will be four added minutes.

Anfield falls silent. Fabinho whips nervelessly into the top left. Never in doubt! Foster had no chance whatsoever. It’s only a surprise that the net is still attached to the frame of the goal.

88 min: Yep. Kucka is punished for his idiocy. Why on earth did he think he would get away with that?!

87 min: The referee goes over to the monitor. This will surely be given.

86 min: A corner leads to a game of pinball in the Watford box. Thiago has a shot but doesn’t connect properly. Kucka rubgy-tackles Jota at the far post! Now then, is that allowed? VAR is going to take a look!

84 min: Firmino twice has the ball at his feet on the edge of the Watford box. The first time he tries to release Mane to his right. A dismal pass puts paid to that. Then soon after, he shapes to shoot, feints, then eventually has a go, by which time Kabasele is on the scene to block. Some poor decision making by Firmino there.

82 min: Henderson lumps a thought-free ball down the middle to nobody. As Foster claims, Firmino waves his arms up and down, encouraging his team-mates to play it cool. Nerves are a-jangling all right.

81 min: A long pass for Mane down the right. He tries to whip a cross in, but can’t get his foot around the ball. Into the Kop it flies.

79 min: Dennis is robbed by Thiago out on the Liverpool left. The ball’s shuttled down the flank to Jota, who rolls inside for Mane. A scuffed shot spins harmlessly wide right. Liverpool just can’t find a nerve-settling second, and Anfield is on edge as a result. Can Watford do Manchester City a huge favour?

78 min: Watford make a triple change. Dennis, King and Cleverley come on for Hernandez, Pedro and Louza.

76 min: Gomez cuts in from the right and curls a delicious ball towards Robertson, romping in from the other flank. Robertson rolls across the face of goal, hoping to find Firmino for the tap-in, but Foster reads the danger well. Gomez’s delivery from the right has been magnificent today. Alexander-Arnold would have been proud of some of his crosses.

74 min: The game suddenly becomes an end-to-end affair. Hernandez latches onto a poor Gomez pass and breaks down the inside left. Liverpool swarm him. Jota then counters the counter, dribbling at pace down the middle, a one-two with Mane on the edge of the box only just failing to come off. That’s got the crowd going.

73 min: Mane crosses from the right, forcing another corner that comes to nothing.

72 min: Firmino wins a corner down the left. A brief surge of noise, but it comes to nothing. The tense home fans so desperate for a second goal that would calm the nerves.

71 min: James also had an album called One Man Clapping. It’s that quiet right now.

69 min: Salah, shaking his head sadly, departs. Mane comes on to replace him. The crowd serenade the Egypt international with a sympathetic reading of his James song.

66 min: Salah competes for an aimless floated pass and sends a weak header over the bar. On the bench, Mane pulls up his socks. He’s coming on.

64 min: Liverpool stroke it about to little effect. Anfield, tense and sullen, isn’t exactly the sonic cauldron Klopp requested.

62 min: Fabinho comes on for Jones, who has a sore foot. “The popular consensus is that Man City have the superior strength in depth, and that probably is true,” begins Matt Dony. “But Liverpool’s bench today is, frankly, pretty spectacular. When was the last time they had a bench that strong for a league match?”

61 min: Henderson whips another cross in from the right. Jota rises high but can’t get enough on his header, which sails harmlessly wide left.

59 min: Gomez dribbles past Hernandez down the right and is yanked back. Hernandez goes into the book as a result. Henderson takes the free kick and finds Jota. Another uncontested header flies over the bar. Jota shakes his head sadly. He knows Liverpool need to up their game.

57 min: Sarr drives down the left and cuts back for Pedro, who steers a shot inches wide of the bottom right. He holds his head in his hands, because the flag didn’t go up for offside, though I suspect VAR would have chalked that off had his shot gone in. Sarr looked to have gone a nanosecond too soon.

56 min: Salah tries to pick up the tempo and wins a corner down the right. It’s sent towards Van Dijk, who sends an uncontested header harmlessly wide and high. Good chance, that.

55 min: … but Watford are entitled to do what they need to do. And at the moment, they’re causing anxiety to spread around Anfield.

54 min: Kamara takes his sweet time over a throw. Straight out of Jose Mourinho’s 2014 playbook.

52 min: Jota picks up a loose ball in the midfield and blazes one over the bar from distance. Jones, free on the edge of the box, is far from happy. Klopp isn’t made up either. Liverpool are a study in frustration right now.

51 min: It’s all a bit slow and mannered from a Liverpool perspective. Watford will be perfectly happy with the plodding pace of this game at the moment.

49 min: Anfield is quiet and tense. Welcome to the business end of the season.

47 min: Matip can’t win a header in the middle of a crowded box and Watford half-clear. Jones then flays a hopeless effort deep into the Kop.

46 min: Gomez sends another sensational cross in from the right. Robertson waits to head home from six yards, only for Kabasele to fling himself at the ball, sending a last-ditch header out for a corner. That’s an astonishing intervention, though Robertson was almost certainly offside. But now it’s a corner.

Liverpool get the second half underway. They’re kicking towards the Kop, which is just how they like it. Neither manager has made any half-time changes.

Half-time entertainment. Hot off the press!

Liverpool are leading, but Jurgen Klopp will almost certainly have notes.

45 min +1: Gomez is booked for clanking into the back of an in-flight Pedro.

44 min: Gomez clumsily bundles Kucka to the ground out on the left. Hernandez comes across and tries to start a fight while Gomez is busy apologising. The look that spreads across Gomez’s face roughly translates as Oh For Goodness Sake. Nothing comes of Hernandez’s antics, or the free kick.

43 min: Henderson fails to find Jota on the edge of the Watford box with a simple pass. Goal kick. He screams in frustration. Liverpool may be leading, but they’re not clicking at the moment.

42 min: Salah has been quiet so far. He drops a shoulder and cuts in from the right, aiming for the top left. Kabasele blocks. “If he could get a run of games, then I think Gomez would show that he could be a starter at most clubs,” writes Mike MacKenzie. “While he can play CB too, it’s hard to displace one of the starting back four on Liverpool.”

40 min: The wrong decision by Jota, there, though you can hardly blame a 13-goal striker for taking it on.

38 min: A game of pinball breaks out from the corner. Jota has the ball at his feet on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. If he rolls into the middle, Henderson has a tap-in. He opts to shoot instead. Foster blocks. A second corner comes to nothing.

37 min: Liverpool clear the corner and break, Henderson finding Salah on the right. Salah can’t get past Kamara but settles for a corner.

36 min: Sarr robs Robertson and finds Pedro down the right. Pedro wins another Watford corner. Femenia to take.

34 min: The bulk of Liverpool’s play is coming through Thiago. Now he tries to find Jones in the Watford box with a pitching wedge down the inside-left channel. Should have taken sand wedge. Goal kick.

32 min: Thiago tries to steer one into the top right from the edge of the Watford D. Blocked. Watford are displaying some trademark Hodgsonian solidity.