Watford vs Man City LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
Follow all the latest updates as the champions visit Vicarage Road
A potentially pivotal day in the title race, which began in east London before late drama at Wolverhampton, ended with Manchester City fans singing “We are top of the league” into the cold evening air at Vicarage Road. Chelsea’s defeat at West Ham opened the door and City swaggered through with a dominant 3-1 win over Watford, most notable for the joyful brilliance of Bernardo Silva.
If Mohamed Salah is the early frontrunner for the Premier League’s player of the season, Bernardo is his nearest rival making a concerted charge. The Portuguese scored two sublime goals here, the first exhibiting his delicate touch in tight spaces, the second showing off the accuracy of his unerring left foot. City rarely rely on the gift of a single star but sometimes one comes to the fore – think of Kevin De Bruyne in 19/20, or Ilkay Gundogan last season – and this feels unequivocally like the year of Bernardo.
Follow all the latest rection below to Man City’s win at Watford.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
14 mins: Liverpool have managed to quell the early threat from Wolves with sustained possession, however Traore is still causing issues for the visitors.
Jota, who is being booed whenever he has the ball, created a good chance just moments ago but Sa collected it easily.
A fun stat for you - Salah has scored more goals this season (13) than Wolves (12)
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
9 mins: Wolves have been dominant in the early stages with Alexander-Arnold defending well so far.
A corner for the hosts, won by Jimenez, was taken cleanly but Kilman couldn’t quite get a head to the cross in.
The ball was then kicked off in the sixth minute to remember six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. The gesture is hugely applauded by the crowd.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
4 mins: Fabinho and Ruben Neves have clashed in an early challenge with both in a bit of pain. They remain on the pitch but it could be an interesting battle.
There’s also been an early Liverpool corner but Wolves dealt with it effectively, immediately clearing the threat.
Wolves 0-0 Liverpool
The match has kicked off at the Molineux Stadium which seems to be rocking despite the chilly weather.
Wolves were met with cheers which must be special for Semedo and Coady who are making their 50th and 250th appearance respectively. Liverpool also have a player hitting a milestone with Robertson competing in his 200th league match.
Can the hosts upset the Reds this afternoon? We will soon find out.
Wolves vs Liverpool: What have the managers said?
There’s always a lot of chat in the build-up to a Premier League clash and Wolves vs Liverpool is no different.
Jurgen Klopp has said his side needs to be creative: “It’s a good team and really difficult to play. They are not famous for conceding a lot and not even conceding a lot of shots on goal, so you have to be creative for sure.”
While Bruno Lage has urged his team to keep up with the Reds: “When you face a team like Liverpool, you have to match their ambition and mentality, as you don’t win Premier League titles without a big ambition, belief in your ability and a confidence that you can go into every game knowing you can get the three points.”
The match is under ten minutes away from kicking off.
Wolves vs Liverpool: What a win would mean for both teams
Wolves have the potential to close the gap on the top of the table this afternoon but Liverpool have a great opportunity to claim the top spot. This is more possible now that Chelsea have fallen to their second Premier League defeat of the season.
Earlier today they lost to West Ham in a 3-2 thriller and to catch up with all the action from that match read our report:
Arthur Masuaku’s freak goal earns impressive West Ham derby win over Chelsea
West Ham 3-2 Chelsea: In a game full of mistakes it was the Blues who made the most as David Moyes’ Hammers continued their sensational rise
Wolves vs Liverpool: Team news
Well what a match and a win for West Ham! We now turn to Wolves vs Liverpool which kicks off in just over 15 minutes time. The teams have announced their line-ups for this afternoon’s fixture.
For hosts Wolves Nelson Semedo will make his 50th appearance for the club and he’ll be led by captain Conor Coady.
Line-up: Sa, Semedo, Kilman, Coady, Saiss, Ait-Nouri, Dendoncker, Neves, Hwang, Jimenez, Traore
Meanwhile Liverpool could seize the top of the table with a win today and Jurgen Klopp will want to emulate his huge success at the club’s derby last weekend. Jordan Henderson starts alongside Fabinho and Andy Robertson.
Line-up: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago, Mane, Salah, Jota
Full time: West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
Chelsea led twice but were beaten 3-2 by West Ham in the Premier League.
Here are five things we learned from a thriller at the London Stadium.
Five things we learned as West Ham shock league leaders Chelsea
West Ham 3-2 Chelsea: Silva and Mount had the away side ahead but Masuaku found a late winner after Lanzini and Bowen equalisers
Full time: West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
It will be interesting to hear from Thomas Tuchel after that one. It’s the first time Chelsea have lost a Premier League match after leading at half-time since 2018.
“The character, the belief, that’s what we’re about. We never know when we are beaten,” West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen tells BT Sport.
Full time: West Ham 3-2 Chelsea
Chelsea looked reasonably comfortable heading into half-time but they could now end the day third in the table if Manchester City and Liverpool win tonight.
West Ham, meanwhile, have opened up a four-point lead over fifth-place Arsenal in the table. That is a huge result for them with their top-four hopes.
David Moyes’ side have now beaten Chelsea and Liverpool in the Premier League and knocked out Manchester City and Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup.
What a season they are having.
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