Liverpool’s dream of winning the English Premier League unbeaten was fatally shattered on Saturday when Watford sparked a surprising 3-0 victory at the Vicarage road.
Senegalese 22-year-old forward Ismaila Sarr scored a second-half brace and a Troy Deeney’s 72nd-minute strike completed a spectacular game for the Hornets.
Liverpool were on an 18-game winning streak and were just one more win short of setting a new record for Premier League’s longest winning streak.
The game started in a suggestive fashion of a likely end to Liverpool’s rosy ride in the League with the hosts dominating in an unlikely manner.
Watford created most of the chances in the first 45 minutes of the game with Brazilian goalkeeper Alison Becker sparing the Reds blushes especially before the break when the former AS Roma goalkeeper stopped Deeney’s effort.
However, Watford were not to be denied for long after the restart when Abdoulaye Doucoure’s cross was poked in by the Senegalese to give the Hornets the lead in the 54th minute.
Six minutes later on the hour mark, he was put through on goal by Will Hughes, and Sarr kept cool to lift the ball over Allison to double the lead.
Captain Troy Deeney made it a confirmation and sealed the win in the 72nd minute when he scored a spectacular curler from the edge of the box.
However, Nigel Pearson’s side has not done any damage to Liverpool’s title-winning chances as the Jurgen Klopp’s side still lead with 22 points on the log.
The defeat is Liverpool’s first in the English Premier League since January 2019 when they succumbed to a defeat to Manchester City, and it is also their biggest margin of defeat since November 2015 when they lost 4-1 to the citizens.
Furthermore, Arsenal’s 49-game unbeaten run remains the longest in the League and also the only team to have won the EPL unbeaten.
Liverpool will face Chelsea next in the English FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday while Watford will be at the Selhurst Park on Saturday just as the Reds will be facing Bournemouth.
Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu
