Liverpool's top three Sardio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino brought Claudio Ranieri a tragic return in the Premier League; the Reds held an unbeaten record of 18 games in all competitions;
Mohammed Salah aims...
...... After the game, Jurgen Klopp described Salah as the best in the world...
Ben Foster could only watch as the ball hovered from his side and into the net...
Liverpool beat Watford 5-0 and Roberto Firmino scored a hat-trick that left Claudio Ranieri's Premier League forgotten once again.
With no new manager bouncing back, Sadio Mane scored just eight minutes later, setting the tone for Liverpool's full dominance and scoring his 100th Premier League goal in the process.
Firmino snatched the first of his three-pointers from James Milner's cross in the 37th minute, and then Mohammed Salah scored another outstanding individual goal, the goal he deserved in the game. Firmino scored his second goal in the 52nd minute before completing a hat-trick in injury time.
The rampant Reds extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games, temporarily topping the Premier League table.
After the game, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised Salah as the best player in the world at the moment.
"Who is better than him? We don't have to talk about what Messi and Ronaldo have done for world football and their dominance," Klopp said. "But now, he's the best."
Klopp's men were too good for Watford...
Ranieri was greeted by home fans before kick-off, but with Liverpool killing the Hornets on their first attack, any hope of a quick start under the new boss quickly vanished.
Salah hit the crossbar in two minutes while locking the mane flick, but the offside mark meant it wouldn't be counted anyway. Liverpool's right wing proved trent Alexander Arnold's fertile ground, especially since Salah gave Danny Ross a hot time. It wasn't surprising when Liverpool came to dominate in eight minutes.
Salah spun into space and played a very nice pass behind Watford's defence, mane jumped over and then fired a clinical shot into the far corner to join club 100. Of his 100 Premier League goals, this is only Mane's third outside the box.
A few minutes later, Salah tested Ben Foster with stinging power. Watford couldn't cope with Liverpool's relentless pressure and quick passes to their top three. 20 minutes have passed, and Salah has touched the ball 21 times, while opponent Ismaila Sal has touched the ball only once.
Watford tried to hold out until half-time, but Liverpool punished a more hasty game eight minutes before the break. Adam Massina hit a strange ball in Liverpool midfield and Mane sped towards the Watford defence before sliding into Milner from the left. His cross was perfect for Firmino and he couldn't miss it from three yards away.
Ranieri replaced Massina at half-time, tom Claywilly asked, but that had no impact on the course of the game towards Watford's goal.
Alexander Alexander-Arnold fired from long range and his left-wing partner Andy Robertson opened Watford's defence with Liverpool's third goal.
His cross from the left caused Craig Cathcart to move the ball over to his own goal. Foster reacted quickly to block the ball out, but Firmino's poaching instincts stood out as he poked home in front of an active away.
The best trips have not yet arrived, as they have witnessed Salah's personal splendor. As his sensational personal efforts in the draw against Manchester City are still fresh in the memory, he repeated this technique with another majestic technique.
Three Watford defenders surrounded him in the area, but he managed to turn them all over and then shoot a precise shot into the far corner. It's a masterpiece of genius.
Liverpool gave their all for the rest of the game, which at least kept goalkeeper Kainshin Kelleher warm, while Sal tested him with the strong effort he pushed onto the post.
But the final moments of the game were left to Firmino, who added luster to the outstanding team performance when he returned home from the Internal Medicine Williams centre-forward.'
<H1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > player of the year: Mohammed Salah</h1>
When opposition fans stand up and applaud goals against teams, you know you're witnessing something special. But in fact, even if football isn't your game, it's easy to realize that Salah scored a special goal that put an end to Pastor Road's brilliant performance in Liverpool's win over Watford. It's a work of art. Those lucky enough to be there to witness a special player at the peak of his game that he may just be the best footballer on the planet. Jurgen Klopp certainly thinks so, and it's hard to argue.
But it wasn't just an outstanding moment, Salah was at the heart of everything this fantastic Liverpool team did. His mark, Danny Rose, must have wanted him to stay in bed all the time. To achieve his goal, Salah scored two assists, the first being a very majestic defensive split pass by Sadio Mane, scoring his 100th Premier League goal.
In his current state, this is Salah's world, and we just live in it.
Claudio Ranieri of Watford: "I saw some bad things about my team, but I also saw some good things – like the last 20 minutes, when we played face-to-face with Liverpool. But I knew I had to work very hard before I came, and I was ready. ”
Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool: "That's good! I can't say it differently. After International Match Day, the idea of coming back from all the different countries, using different systems and bringing them back to us was always tricky - we had a training session and the boys had done a really good job.
"I think Watford had an idea today, but we didn't let it happen. We are too dominant. We could have scored more. But wonderful goals! Come on! It was really great. Good attitude and character. ”
Since beating Liverpool 3-0 in February 2020, Watford have conceded at least one goal per game in their last 18 Premier League games. Only twice they didn't concede zero goals in games for longer – 20 games in the 1999-00 season and 19 games in 2019.
Liverpool are the first top England team in history to have scored more than three goals in seven consecutive away games in all competitions.
Mane is the third player after Les Ferdinand (149) and Emile Husky (110) to score more than 100 Premier League goals without being awarded a penalty.
Salah has scored in all of his last eight games for Liverpool; it's the longest consecutive team goal since Daniel Sturridge in February 2014 (8).