Watford vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction today

The Reds face the Hornets in Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge to open this weekend’s Premier League action

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With a deft touch, a roll of the ball with his studs, a dummy and then a sublime finish into the bottom corner, Mohamed Salah produced another goal-of-the-season contender to headline Liverpool’s 5-0 win at Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.

On a tough day for Claudio Ranieri in his first match as Watford manager, Salah delivered almost a replica of his stunning individual goal against Manchester City before the international break to show just why many are calling him the world’s best player on current form.

It also overshadowed a hat trick scored by Roberto Firmino.Salah’s 54th-minute solo goal started just inside the area where he was surrounded by three Watford players. Salah somehow managed to extricate himself out of the situation with marvellous footwork - including the foot-roll that was a feature of the goal against City - before cutting back onto his left foot and curling into the far corner.

The Egypt winger was mobbed by his teammates after his seventh league goal of the season. He has now scored in his last eight games for Liverpool in all competitions.Liverpool was already well clear by then after an eighth-minute opener by Sadio Mane — off Salah’s exquisite pass from off the outside of his left boot — and tap-ins either side of halftime by Firmino. The Brazil striker completed his hat trick with virtually the last kick of the game.

Mane become the 31st player to score 100 Premier League goals, and the third from Africa after Didier Drogba and Salah.Liverpool started the eighth round of games in second place, a point behind Chelsea.The 69-year-old Ranieri, who was hired last week as the replacement for Xisco Munoz, will be judged on games against weaker opponents than Liverpool but this was as one-sided a game as it.

Watford vs Liverpool

• GOAL! Watford 0-1 Liverpool - Mane breaks the deadlock after a sublime Salah pass
• GOAL! Watford 0-2 Liverpool - Firmino doubles the Reds’ lead, tapping in Milner’s square ball
• GOAL! Watford 0-3 Liverpool - Firmino grabs a brace to convert a rebound from Foster’s save
• GOAL! Watford 0-4 Liverpool - Salah hits wonder goal after mesmerising footwork inside box
• GOAL! Watford 0-5 Liverpool - Firmino stabs home from close range to complete hat-trick

[16 October 2021 12:44 · Jack Rathborn]

(Getty)

[16 October 2021 12:43 · Michael Jones]

SAVE! Foster denies Salah

Watford 0 - 1 Liverpool

12 mins: Liverpool have been excellent so far. Robertson makes a diagonal run into the box from the left side and Matip flicks the ball over the top for him. He chests it down to Salah on the edge of the box and Salah shoots aiming for the far top corner. Foster shimmies across and gets a good hand on the ball to push it wide of goal and give Liverpool another corner.

[16 October 2021 12:40 · Jack Rathborn]

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Mohamed Salah of Liverpool takes a shot as Danny Rose of Watford FC attempts to block (Getty)

[16 October 2021 12:39 · Michael Jones]

GOAL! Watford 0 - 1 Liverpool (Mane. 9’)⚽️

9 mins: That didn’t take long! This is brilliant from Liverpool. Ben Foster sends a goalkick down Watford’s left side. Joel Matip wins the first ball and heads it towards Salah. He leans on Rose and turns off the shoulder of the left-back to get in behind the backline with the ball. Sadio Mane makes a run into the box and Salah picks him out with a pass from the outside of his left foot. Mane collects the ball and slots it coolly past Foster to pick up his 100th goal for Liverpool!

[16 October 2021 12:38 · Michael Jones]

Watford 0 - 0 Liverpool

6 mins: Salah’s got the beating of Rose. He knows he’s quicker than the Watford left-back and knocks the ball past him before sprinting towards the box. Again Sissoko gets back to help out but Salah manages to feed a pass to James Milner who’s made a run to the byline. He whips in a cross that gets blocked by William Troost-Ekong.

[16 October 2021 12:34 · Michael Jones]

Watford 0 - 0 Liverpool

3 mins: Liverpool have started strongly. Salah is getting some joy against Danny Rose on the Liverpool right side. The Egyptian shoulders his way past the defender and carries the ball into the box but he’s tackled by a sliding Moussa Sissoko.

The ball goes out for a corner that Trent Alexander-Arnold swings into the box but Watford deal with it easily enough.

[16 October 2021 12:33 · Michael Jones]

Watford 0 - 0 Liverpool

Kick off: Liverpool get the match underway and work it down the left side. A cross into the box is cleared out as far as Jordan Henderson who heads it across to Andy Robertson. Robertson heads the ball back into the box where Sadio Mane flicks it on. Mo Salah gets to the ball and blasts it into the near post only for the offside flag to go up.

[16 October 2021 12:28 · Michael Jones]

Here come the teams

Jordan Henderson leads out Liverpool at Vicarage Road with Moussa Sissoko leading the Hornets. Watford may get the much talked about boost from signing a new manager but they’ve got a difficult task ahead of them today.

[16 October 2021 12:23 · Michael Jones]

Rose on Liverpool

Watford’s Danny Rose expects a tough game against Liverpool but says his team will give it a good go under new boss Claudio Ranieri. He said:

We are playing against a team that are going to be fighting for the league so it’s going to be a very difficult game,

“I think people should expect a very attacking, exciting game because both teams have very exciting offensive players.

“I think the game will be a difficult one for both teams. We’ve had nearly two weeks of working with a new manager, so hopefully we will be able to show the new ideas that we have been working on in the past couple of weeks.”

[16 October 2021 12:17 · Michael Jones]

The warm ups are underway

The players are out on the pitch warming up. There’s 15 minutes to go until kick off, can Watford shock Liverpool again or will the Reds move back to the top of the table?