After two draws in the English Premier League on Saturday, Liverpool FC returned furiously to the road to success. The “Reds” finished off Watford 5-0 (2-0) at the start of the eighth round and are the only team to remain unbeaten. Roberto Firmino put his stamp on the game with a triple pack. ÖFB goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann could not prevent the debacle, because the Lower Austrian was only on the bench with the hosts.
Neo-coach Claudio Ranieri, who had replaced Xisco Munoz as coach at Watford before the international break, relied on the routine of 38-year-old Ben Foster in goal on his debut against Liverpool and banished Bachmann to the bench. The Austrian team goalkeeper, most recently in the Faroe Islands and against Denmark in the World Cup qualifying, had to watch how Foster and his front men were lost to the “Reds”.
Former Salzburg legionnaire Sadio Mane put Liverpool in the lead after nine minutes, Robert Firmino added the 2-0 (37th) before the break. The dominance of the guests in the first half was also reflected in the ball possession statistics: Liverpool had the ball in their ranks for more than 80 percent of the playing time in the first 45 minutes.
Decisive one-two punch
After changing sides, the guests closed the bag with a double blow in just two minutes. First Firmino used a rebound to score his second goal (52nd), shortly afterwards striker Mohamed Salah first danced the Watford defense and hit the far corner to make it 4-0 (54th). For the Egyptian it was the eighth competitive game in a row with at least one goal. Firmino put the finishing touches in stoppage time with his third goal (90th + 1).
With the fifth win in the eighth game, Liverpool temporarily sat back at the top of the table. However, Chelsea FC, who will be visiting surprise promoted Brentford on Saturday (6.30 p.m.), has the chance to turn the tables again.
