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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Watford v Liverpool, Premier League

We were at Vicarage Road to see if the hosts could move to within a point of the top-four.

Hello everybody and welcome along to our coverage of Liverpool’s visit to a side chasing a fourth-straight victory.

As usual, we’d love to hear from you. You can mail (eoin@the42.ie), tweet, leave a Facebook message or post a comment right here.

Let’s get straight to the team news and here’s how the home side will line up.

So, Quique Sanchez Flores’ side are unchanged from their most recent win over Sunderland. The focus will be on the attacking partnership of Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. They have been responsible for 15 of Watford’s 18 top-flight goals this season. Incredible.

The big news for Liverpool is that Adam Bogdan makes his Premier League debut for the club due to Simon Mignolet’s hamstring injury. Mamadou Sakho replaces Dejan Lovren, Lucas comes in for James Milner while Roberto Firmino is preferred to Christian Benteke.

19-year-old Ryan Fulton is the Reds’ substitute goalkeeper this afternoon.

The teams are out and we’re minutes from kick-off here. Atmosphere looks pretty good – the home fans certainly enjoying their team’s brilliant form.

Brings back memories for a certain Herr Klopp, certainly.

KICK-OFF! 

Greta start by the home side. Ighalo and Deeney have seen plenty of the ball already and they’ve forced an early corner here…

GOAL! Ake! 

My goodness. What an awful error from Adam Bogdan. On his Premier League debut for Liverpool, he drops the in-swinging Ben Watson corner from his hands and Nathan Ake is there to prod over the line. That’s inexplicable.

Important for Watford to test Bodgan at every opportunity in the coming minutes. If he wasn’t nervous before…Meanwhile, Sakho gets done by Deeney and almost plays in Ighalo as Liverpool are all over the place at the back.

Just caught another replay of the Ake goal…the goalkeeper may have a case, you know? He drops it initially and goes to grab it but Ake gets his foot in and hooks the ball away and tucks it home. Question is: did Bogdan have control of the ball when Ake stuck his boot in?

Better from Liverpool as they force a couple of corners in quick succession. Yellow jerseys back in numbers though and seem relatively comfortable. Meanwhile, Countinho tries to whip in a shot from the edge of the area but it’s too close to Gomes.

GOAL! Ighalo! 

That is incredible. Awful, awful defending from Martin Skrtel. Deeney slips a ball in behind the Liverpool defence for Ighalo to race onto in the right channel. Skrtel has him in his pocket but doesn’t have the speed to get there first. But, remarkably, the towering centre-half is also pushed off the ball by the attacker who then dispatches to the net. Jurgen Klopp will be fuming.

20 minutes gone and Liverpool badly outplayed here. Injuries have affected their starting XI but, so far, Watford seem hungrier and more determined. Moreno has got involved in a little back and forth here with Nyom afte clattering into the Watford man. The guests clearly frustrated with what’s happened so far.

If they get out of jail here, Liverpool will be climbing into the stands with their supporters at full-time to say thanks.

Heurelho Gomes has just shown Adam Bogdan how to claim an in-swinging corner. That says it all.

Skrtel is down and receiving treatment after going up for a high ball with Deeney. Liverpool have been bullied and battered so far.

CLOSE! It could be 3-0. The cross from the right is cushioned down into the Liverpool area and Bogdan rushes off his line to try and punch clear. Instead, it rebounds off Lucas and almost breaks for a Watford player. Moments later, another cross comes in and Jurado instinctively turns the first-time effort towards the near post but Bogdan gets down and pushes it out for a corner.

No one wears a chunky knit quite like Quique Sanchez Flores.

SUBSTITUTION! Origi (on) – Skrtel (off)

The centre-back never recovered after landing awkwardly following the challenge with Deeney and he’s forced off here. It will require some positional switches with Emre Can probably moving to the centre of defence.

CLOSE! Good grief. It could’ve been another for Watford. Another corner (the same side Ake’s opener came from) from Watson and it seems a poor one, with no height on it at all. But it’s not dealt with at the near post and bounces dangerously as it hits the turf. Bogdan, somehow, claws it away but not very convincingly.

It looks like Lucas has dropped back to centre-back here. What could possibly go wrong?

HALF-TIME! 

The interval couldn’t come quick enough for Liverpool, who have been second-best in every department so far. Watford started brightly with the front two of Ighalo and Deeney closing down and getting stuck in. Their energy has certainly been infectious for the hosts and Liverpool haven’t managed a single chance of note.

The opening goal was a tad controversial as Adam Bogdan dropped Ben Watson’s corner, went to gather before the ball was hacked away from him and turned into the net by Nathan Ake. Some will dispute whether the keeper was in control of the ball but his initial error can’t be ignored and it was a simple mistake.

Ighalo grabbed Watford’s second, out-muscling Martin Skrtel in the right channel before superbly striking across Bogdan and into the far corner.

Make no mistake – the Hornets are good value for their 2-0 lead.

SECOND HALF! 

CLOSE! Early chance for Liverpool to get back into this as the ball arrives at the feet of Moreno at the far post but he seems to lose his footing at the vital time and when the shot eventually comes, it’s a feeble effort that hits the side-net.  

Origi has started well here and is being a nuisance. At least Liverpool have a physical presence up top – definitely lacked a focal point in the opening period. Meanwhile, Bogdan has just caught a cross. I repeat, Bogdan has just caught a cross.

Decent chance for Liverpool to get back in this as the ball is slipped wide and Henderson is in acres of space. He races towards goal and tries to measure the cross but it’s a poor one and Gomes easily gathers.

That’s poor from Origi. Coutinho does well in midfield, shakes off a challenge and swings it wide for the Belgian. Coutinho continues his run and wants an instant return to race straight through on goal. But Origi doesn’t have the awareness, dwells too long, Coutinho can’t hold his run and Watford eventually get back and tidy up. Unsurprisingly, Coutinho is raging.

CLOSE! Ighalo embarrasses Sakho in the left of the area, leaving him on his backside before squaring it. There are a couple of red shirts there but Lucas completely misses his kick, Bogdan is panicked and eventually Liverpool scramble it over the by-line. Chaos back there.

CLOSE! Bogdan goes some way to making up for his earlier errors by conjuring a great stop to prevent Ighalo from making it 3-0. The attacker is played through, right between the two centre-backs, steadies himself but is wasteful with the finish – hitting it very close to the keeper.

CLOSE! Henderson forces his way past Ake at the far post and it bounces up invitingly for him to strike. Gets his knee over the ball and catches it perfectly – great technique – but Gomes does well to tip it over. Big moment.

Sakho has been left on his arse again, this time by Deeney, and the defender is another one who’ll probably need a stiff drink later.

CLOSE! Can is the latest Liverpool player to try his luck as he flashes a shot towards the near post but Gomes gets down and pushes it away. If they get one back, it will make the final twenty minutes quite interesting here. They haven’t been at the races at all but they’ve created a couple of opportunities in the last while.

SUBSTITUTIONS! Benteke & Ibe (on) – Lallana & Firmino (off)

Last throw of the dice from Jurgen Klopp as Lallana, once again, fails to last a full game.

SUBSTITUTION! Anya (on) – Jurado (off)

Watford make a switch too as there are some tired legs out there. They need one big push to get them over the line here.

SUBSTITUTION! Behrami (on) – Abdi (off)

Changes keep coming for the home side – another tactic to slow the momentum and break things up. They’re getting scrappy and passes aren’t sticking so it could be an anxious final ten minutes for them.

Goal! Ighalo!

That’s a superb goal. It’s patient and well-worked and everything Liverpool haven’t been today. Deeney doesn’t rush on the edge of the area and slides it across for Behrami. He takes a touch and floats in a brilliant cross and Ighalo heads neatly to the bottom corner. Excellent. This season will surely go down as the weirdest yet.

SUBSTITUTION! Guediora (on) – Ighalo (off)

He won’t get his hat-trick but he’s been superb again. He missed a decent chance earlier in the half when Bogdan saved well but he’s now got 28 goals in 35 league appearances in 2015 – that’s absolutely astounding.

FULL-TIME! Watford 3-0 Liverpool! 

Watford are now one point from a Champions League place as Liverpool are in ninth. Klopp’s side were well beaten today and it can probably go down as their worst display since the German took charge.

The home side threatened all throughout with Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney superb. The attacking duo were quicker, stronger and hungrier than the Liverpool defence that looked shaky from the opening exchanges.

Adam Bogdan gifted Watford an early lead when he dropped Ben Watson’s corner at the feet of Nathan Ake while Ighalo popped up with his first later in the half, holding off Martin Skrtel before firing brilliantly to the far corner.

He saw a decent effort saved by Bogdan in the second half but tucked away a late header to make sure of the three points and condemn Liverpool to a fourth game without a win.

The guests did go close through Jordan Henderson but they deserved nothing from this game – outplayed and out-battled.

Thanks for staying with our coverage.

Plenty more reaction on the site throughout the afternoon and evening.

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