46
14:36
A brilliant start to the second half. Again it’s Gomez who crosses down the right flank and looks for Jota in the middle. Just like that, Kabasele intervenes and clears his head to the corner. The subsequent corner kick lands at Matip, who climbs up to head the ball, but can’t get the ball onto the box and the defenders clear it.
46
14:33
Kick-off 2nd half
45
14:30
Mid-term conclusion:
At halftime between Liverpool and Watford it is 1-0 for the home side. It’s an intense first half where, as you’d expect, Liverpool had the higher percentages of possession. But the guests were able to create a few opportunities with counterattacks and even had the chance to take the lead when Kucka failed in a duel against Alison. In direct return, the Reds scored the opening goal. Joe Gomez served Jota with a wonderful cross, who only had to head in. After taking the lead, Liverpool had more control of the game. Jota could have even increased to 2:0, but failed at Foster from close range. Despite this, the Reds are struggling to establish their game and need to stay focused in the second half, as Watford also had their chances. You can look forward to the second half.
45
14:16
Joe Gomez (Liverpool FC) is shown a yellow card.
The defender prevents a counterattack by pulling Pedro’s jersey to the ground. That’s enough for the referee to rightly issue the first yellow card here.
45
14:16
Official injury time (minutes): 2
44
14:16
The standards of the guests usually seem dangerous, but so far have not led to a top chance. After a free kick from the left kicked by Cucho Hernández, the ball slips wide and two Watford players narrowly miss. This allows Alison to pick up the ball easily. If there is a foot in between, it looks different.
42
14:14
Shortly before the break, it’s an extremely tough game. Again and again both fight hard duels in midfield and it gets a bit heated. Attwell has had to step in from time to time.
40
14:12
Salah clumsily climbs onto the ankle of his opponent, who needs treatment. However, the referee keeps showing no cards and drives his line.
38
14:10
Foster prevents the next goal! The guests don’t get a corner kick cleared and the ball lands at Matip. The central defender tries a shot that fails. In the middle, the attempted shot bounces off Gomez and falls at Diogo Jota’s feet. The striker can shoot freely in front of the goal from seven meters on the right. But Foster spreads himself wide and can just fend off the second goal.
36
14:07
Defensively, the home side are very compact. After losing the ball, three or four players go straight to the ball carrier and put him under pressure. Watford can rarely free himself from these situations in a playful way.
34
14:05
Above all, Thiago shows himself again and again with good ideas and passes worth seeing. The Spaniard usually gets the ball in midfield and often causes danger.
33
14:04
Liverpool are clearly better now and are pushing for the second goal. The guests now have to be careful that the game isn’t decided before half-time and find ways to hold back, otherwise the Reds will play themselves into a frenzy.
31
14:02
After a collision at the corner kick, Matip and Hernández collide. It didn’t look good and Hernández was down for a long time. But both players can continue.
29
14:01
Again Thiago shows a breathtaking pass in Watford’s sixteen. Robertson ran in well from the left and seems ready to shoot. But Sissoko can just clear the ball with a strong tackle for a corner kick.
27
13:59
Was that the sticking point for Watford? Liverpool seems to have the game in their hands here and the guests don’t get into the switching game like they did before the goal.
25
13:57
The 1-0 is definitely deserved because of the possession of the ball. But Watford had the best chance of the game before that. Kucka appeared alone in front of Alison and was able to finish twelve meters in front of the goal from the left position. Alison closed the angle well and was able to save in a one-on-one.
22
13:52
Tooor for Liverpool FC, 1-0 through Diogo Jota
With the first right opportunity, the home side make it 1-0 here. They patiently play their game and seek Salah. The striker sees Gomez running behind and passes the right-back in open space. Gomez can flank unhindered and finds Diogo Jota with his perfect cross in the six-yard box. The Portuguese comes from five meters to the header and nets. Foster ran out and can’t get to the ball. The goalkeeper doesn’t look good there.
20
13:51
In the switching game, the guests always seem dangerous. After Liverpool lost the ball, the players in yellow usually look for a quick pass to Sarr, who can go deep into Liverpool’s half with his attack. But Van Dijk makes a safe impression so far and prevents most situations.
18
1:49 p.m
Again Liverpool can settle in half of the guests. But the right idea to play off the Watford chain is missing. Most of the time a pass gets stuck or you dribble.
16
1:47 p.m
Again and again, the Reds are looking for the wide, high passes on the wings. So far, the Watford defenders are handling it well. If one of these passes slips through to Salah, the Egyptian is alone in front of Foster.
14
1:45 p.m
The guests do that very well in the early stages. Sure, the home side dominate, but Watford can always prevail and create small switching opportunities. The better opportunities are also on the side of the Hornets.
12
13:44
Watford can free himself a little and work out a corner kick. The ball comes in from the right near the post and finds Hernández. He climbs up and prevails against Robertson. However, his header from seven meters is too central and can be held safely by Alison.
10
13:41
Salah pulls into the penalty area from the right side. The Egyptian makes it strong, mounts the ball and sticks through on Jones. He tries to play the ball across and his slightly deflected cross slips through into the six-yard box. A Watford defender can just about clarify that. The counterattack that followed could have caused danger, but Van Dijk was just able to stop the counterattack.
8th
13:39
Jones finds a wonderful pass from Thiago just behind the center line in front of the sixteen of the guests. The midfielder controls the ball, puts it in the right position and shoots from 20 meters on the right. But he doesn’t hit the ball properly and thus clearly distorts it.
6
13:37
The first conclusion for the guests is not so safe. Another pass from the back four lands at Sarr. He doesn’t hesitate and shoots 18 meters directly in front of the Reds’ box. His finish is good but goes a little over the goal and poses no threat to Alison.
5
1:35 p.m
The Reds play their game and get stuck in the Watford half. It feels like 90 percent of ball possession belongs to the home side. So far, however, they have not been able to create a dangerous opportunity.
3
13:34
Henderson takes the defensive midfield position, while Thiago has creative freedom in front of it. With a nice wide ball he is looking for Salah on the right wing. His pass can just about be clarified by Kamara.
1
13:33
Watford immediately lost the ball in the build-up game. Jota gets to the ball deep in the visitors’ half but can be disrupted by Kabasele. The subsequent corner from the left lands in front of Jones’ feet. His shot from the inside right, 16 yards from goal, goes harmlessly wide of the box to the right.
1
13:31
Referee Stuart Attwell whistles and the fans seem to have heard Jurgen Klopp. The mood is fantastic.
13:29
Nino Wiegand ticks live for you – have fun with this game!
13:28
You’ll never walk alone is heard on Anfield road and the players are ready. We can look forward to an interesting encounter in the Premier League. Can the Hornets annoy the Reds, or are the home side going all out here? It’s about to start with Liverpool FC against Watford FC.
13:24
Liverpool won the first leg 5-0 away. At that time it was Bobby Firmino who snapped three times and spoiled the debut of the Hornets coach, Claudio Ranieri. His career as a Watford coach did not last long. Another coach, Roy Hodgson, can be seen on the visitors’ touchline. The veteran may have new ideas to put obstacles in the way of the Reds’ title race today.
13:15
Jürgen Klopp demanded full focus on this game from his players. With a view to the upcoming tasks against Benfica in the Champions League and the league cracker against City next weekend, a blunder in today’s game would be more than annoying. With nine wins in a row, a lack of mentality shouldn’t be a problem for the Liverpool players. In addition, the Reds play in front of a home crowd, who were personally asked by the coach to loudly support their team.
13:01
However, the visitors from Watford could turn out to be an unpleasant opponent for Liverpool FC today. Although Watford is in 18th place and with two games fewer than the competition, they are in danger of relegation, but they were able to take a small step towards staying up in the league with a 2-1 win against Southampton. In addition, the guests had significantly more time to regenerate due to the cancellation of the game against Everton.
12:56
The Premier League title race couldn’t be more exciting. The Reds are in excellent form and have reduced the gap to leaders Manchester City to one point. A win against Watford could take you to the top of the table, at least until this afternoon. Three points are therefore a must against the Hornets in order to keep up with the rivals from Manchester.
12:48 p.m
Jürgen Klopp sends the two most prolific players in the league onto the field against the Hornets in Diogo Jota and Mo Salah. Roberto Firmino also starts from the beginning today. As a result, Mané is sitting on the bench for the time being. In defense, Alexander-Arnold is not yet good enough to get into the starting XI. The Englishman can at least hope for a substitution and a few minutes of play after his thigh injury.
12:42 p.m
The international break is over and league operations are picking up speed again. Watford FC have changed one position compared to their last league game against Southampton. Ismaïla Sarr returns to the starting XI, replacing Emmanuel Dennis, who is initially on the bench.
12:19
Welcome to matchday 31 in the Premier League. Liverpool FC host Watford. The game starts at 1:30 p.m. The ticker for the game starts right before kick-off.