Liverpool vs Watford, Premier League: live score updates
FULL TIME
What a result for Liverpool. Mo Salah is an exceptional talent. Four goals and an assist today!
90 mins +1
89 mins
4 - Mohamed Salah is the first Liverpool player to score four goals in a single Premier League game since Luis Suarez versus Norwich in December 2013. Fab.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 17, 2018
88 mins
Salah is played in again! The goalkeeper comes off his line to catch the ball before Salah gets his fifth. If this game went on another 10 minutes, I really think Salah would end up with about 20 goals.
GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!
Take Watford out of the oven, they are fully cooked! Salah has torn them apart, he's absolutely incredible in this kind of form. Ings goes close to getting a goal but a great save from the goalkeeper turns into an assist. Salah pounces on the rebound and batters the volley high into the net.
83 mins
INGS IS IN! Saved by Karnezis. That's a great save by the goalkeeper as Ings is played in on the right of the penalty area and shoots across goal.
82 mins
Janmaat comes on for Britos, who may well have to be put into the shop for repairs after what Mo Salah has done to him tonight.
80 mins
Danny Ings comes on for Firmino for the final 12 minutes.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!
SALAH GETS A HAT-TRICK! It's brilliant individual skill! He has so much time despite being surrounded by three, four, five Watford defenders, turns all of them until he has space for the shot and then wrong-foots the goalkeeper. Brilliant.
76 mins
Mane drops deep and has 20 yards of space. Watford drop deeper instantly... but Mane's pass gives away possession. Liverpool keep up the pressure, Oxlade-Chamberlain picks the ball about 25 yards out and tries a shot on goal. It's got power behind it but is too central and the goalkeeper saves.
75 mins
Great defending from Gomez. He spots a pass being played in behind and runs early to make sure he wins it, then controls and keeps calm by the touchline, hitting a long pass once he's safe.
Watford are having way more of the ball now but it totally suits Liverpool's counter-attack game. There's no need for them to waste energy pressing high - the game is gone. Now it's time to control.
That said, Liverpool are still forcing them into mistakes by rushing the man on the ball. It's just that Liverpool have a deeper defensive line to draw Watford out.
72 mins
Deeney comes off for Okaka. Wijnaldum comes off for Oxlade-Chamberlain. Both of these make total sense.
The Ox is involved immediately, using his pace and strength to recover a loose pass in midfield and carrying it wide to keep possession.
70 mins
Salah is floating around upfront waiting for backpasses or long balls to steal onto. He's never scored a hat-trick before... could that change today?
Oxade-Chamberlain is about to come on.
68 mins
Things have slowed down a wee bit now, Watford are keeping hold of the ball but can't quite really threaten Liverpool, who are looking to hit the ball long for the forward three to chase whenever they can. I wonder how long before Klopp starts resting his superstars. This game is pretty much done... but taking a foot off the accelerator could allow Watford to catch up.
65 mins
Pereyra is having a really impressive game. He teases Gomez with some skill and close control, then beats Milner to cross into the area. Nobody is there to attack it.
Richarlison comes off for Hughes. That might actually be a 3-5-2 now, with Pereyra floating around in behind. Either that or a 4-5-1 with Pereyra on the left.
62 mins
Another really nice move. This time Gomez has space on the right and is able to stretch the pitch like a winger. He looks for the run of Firmino and whips a cross ahead of him, the header is flicked just wide.
Will Hughes is about to come on for Watford which should mean a change to a 4-5-1.
60 mins
Firmino has the ball left of the box and is paid close attention to by the defender Britos. He twists and turns and leaves him humiliated on his back, but Britos gets up quickly and Firmino slips. There are weak appeals for a penalty... and Watford survive.
58 mins
Watford finally manage to stitch some passes together and keep the ball away from Liverpool. Doucoure is involved with most of it, moving into space and finding teammates with sensible passes. Holebas finds space on the left... beats his man... but Karius catches. It was a fantastic ball from Prodl which created that chance.
55 mins
Liverpool still look so dangerous. Hungry for goals! Deeney is about the only Watford player able to keep hold of the ball. Pereyra has been good with it too actually. If Liverpool decide they want to, it honestly feels like they could score as many as they want tonight.
53 mins
Pereyra takes the free-kick from wide left of the penalty area... AND HITS THE BAR! He's gone for goal, aimed top corner and Karius is completely beaten!
51 mins
Holebas tries to respond with a hard hit shot from distance but it flies just wide of the post and pings back of the advertising boards to the wrong side of the back of the net.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!
Wow what a finish that is! Salah is killing Watford here. He crosses in from an area of space on the right (again) and Firmino runs across the front of the goalkeeper to flick his shot past him and into the back of the net. Superb.
49 mins
Salah is finding space on the right again already. He's juuuuuuuuuust offside for a long pass over the top that would have put him clean in on goal.
Salah and Firmino are just unable to beat Holebas to a long pass from Robertson. Watford are doomed here. If they sit back, they give away all possession in their own half. If they push higher up the pitch Liverpool ping balls over the top.
47 mins
Liverpool start on the attack and win a throw high up the pitch straight away. Gomez takes it, Henderson crosses into the area and Firmino heads at goal. There's no power in it though and the goalie collects with ease.
KICK OFF 2
We're back! No changes by either manager.
Average positions
Liverpool playing pretty wide to stretch the pitch and create space, while Watford are being forced deep and don't seem to know quite what to do. They started out defensive, ended pressing high, and conceded goals during both periods.
HALF TIME
And there it is! That's almost exactly how I'd imagined that half would go. Watford don't seem to believe they can get anything out of it, Liverpool just way too good for them.
45 mins +1
Liverpool are controlling the game at the moment. Waiting for the half time whistle.
GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!
Ohhhhhh that is lovely. Another superb move from Liverpool ends with another goal for Mo Salah! Robertson has the ball wide left, spots the space down the channel and fires a pass to Mane, who threads him in with the reverse of the one-two, and Robertson's first time cross is perfect. Salah can't miss.
42 mins
Superb pass from Robertson. He goes long over the top for Mane, who runs in behind the Watford defence but shanks his cross back into the area for Salah. Watford are leaving space in behind by pressing higher up the pitch.
40 mins
WHAT A MOVE! Milner runs down the left and plays a pass off the outside of his boot into the channel for Salah. He's too quick for the defender and is first to the ball, pulls him around a bit with some clever movement and then plays a perfect pass around the centre-back inside for Firmino. Firmino chops onto his left foot and beats the defender but his shot is saved. That would have been a goal of the month contender.
38 mins
Henderson spots Mane at the back post and tries a chipped pass into the box towards him. It's good but Firmino blocks a defender and was standing in an offside position.
Watford get forward and there's a free header in the box! Straight at Karius! Oh lordy that could've been the equaliser.
35 mins
Liverpool need to up the tempo again and get a second goal before Watford are able to find a way back into this one.
33 mins
The free-kick is wasted as about five Watford players are offside. Watford keep up the pressure though and then Henderson completely miscontrols the ball - he's sleeping there - and suddenly there's space to attack! Pereyra pulls off an absolutely brilliant heel-chop nutmeg on Mane to skip past him and drive into the box. His low cross is cleared.
31 mins
Now Watford are pressing Liverpool high, closing down Karius. Capoue wins a free-kick as Wijnaldum holds onto the ball a little too long. Klopp's side have lost a bit of snap here.
28 mins
Look how deep Watford have been. You can see the difference between these teams in that positions graphic.
27 mins
Emre Can has gone down with an injury and might need to come off. It's a muscle problem, he hasn't been touched, and Milner is getting ready to come on in his place.
25 mins
Watford have come out of their shell a little more and are trying to attack and keep the ball at halfway. Liverpool's pressing play is making that difficult.
23 mins
Another Liverpool corner. Salah takes an outswinger and it fizzes through the legs of about three attackers and more defenders... but Van Dijk can't keep the ball in play and Watford have a throw-in.
21 mins
Salah crosses into the area from a free-kick wide left and Holebas heads behind for a corner. Salah comes across to take that one too and the high press from Liverpool means they are able to keep Watford trapped by their own box. The goalkeeper kicks long and Liverpool win possession back.
18 mins
Salah turns his man on the right but Can loses the ball on the edge of the Watford box. Watford are happy to pass around their own defensive third until someone finds space wide for a switched long ball... then they go backwards again. They're clearly frightened of Liverpool's attacking threat.
16 mins
Van Dijk goes for a ride on Deeney's back, Firmino is caught just offside.
13 mins
Watford still committed to this deep, defensive formation. It looks like a 3-4-2-1 but with the central midfielders defensive and close to the centre-backs to occupy the space that Liverpool front three keep moving into.
10 mins
It's all Liverpool. Watford came here to frustrate and keep things quiet, and have failed inside the opening bit of the game. Salah, Mane and Firmino are finding space between the lines and pulling the Watford defence apart so easily it looks like a second goal should be on its way pretty soon.
7 mins
Salah nearly gets in again! Henderson splits the Watford defence with a superb through-ball but Karnezis is off his line early to smother it on the edge of the box.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!
Wow. That is spectacular defending. Salah finds space on the right again - in the fourth minute! - and puts a Watford defender on his back, sending him tumbling over a mannequin and fires low beneath the goalkeeper. Messi-esque, that one.
3 mins
It's pretty quiet in Anfield from the start as Watford sit nice and deep and look to slow down their hosts. Liverpool are causing problems already though with Salah running into the box! He's closed down. That's a warning shot though.
KICK OFF
Here come the players
It looks cold. Deeney is having to squint to see through the snow. Good luck to the goalkeepers.
The warmups
No matter where I look, absolutely everyone seems to see nothing but a Liverpool victory here today. Could that lead to over confidence? Klopp has changed his team to freshen it up a wee bit, but perhaps also to ensure those in starting positions don't get too comfortable.
Pre-match comments
Jurgen Klopp
"Dejan is not available, that's it pretty much. The rest is we had a normal training week so we looked at what we could need against Watford.
"Five at the back will be a challenge, it's all real quality, but it's Anfield and we are difficult to play on a good day. That is what we have to show."
Troy Deeney
"It's cold out there, very windy, it'll be interesting to see how everybody deals with it. Their front three is special... they can cause problems and we'll have to be on our game."
Javi Gracia
"We try to improve these matches, the last game we create many chances but didn't score, if we continue the same way we'll be able in future to score goals and get points."
SNOW!
IT'S MARCH!
[In voice of ISS 64 commentator] "The temperature might be freezing but on the pitch it'll be red hot action. LIVERPOOL! Are in the ascendancy."
Starting lineups
�� TEAM NEWS ��
Today's #LFC side to face @WatfordFC... pic.twitter.com/5zi6xdq1B5— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 17, 2018
�� | #watfordfc line-up v @LFC | Karnezis (GK); Femenía, Mariappa, Prödl, Britos, Holebas; Pereyra, Doucouré, Capoue, Richarlison; Deeney (C).
Subs | Gomes (GK), Janmaat, Cathcart, Hughes, Carrillo, Gray, Okaka.#LIVWATpic.twitter.com/CV1niXyLjC— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) March 17, 2018
