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Liverpool stay hot on the heels of leaders Manchester City after securing a 3-0 win away from home against Watford, with Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Firmino getting on the scoresheet. Watford had a goal disallowed as Gerard Deulofeu was caught offside in the third minute, when Troy Deeney flicked the ball in behind Liverpool's back four.
Watford pressed high and caught Liverpool out of possession in certain vital areas of the pitch. The hosts were well organised and did not allow Liverpool to penetrate centrally, thereby forcing the visitors to go long along the wings.
The Hornets remained disciplined till the 67th minute when Mo Salah slotted Sadio Mane's assist from a tight angle. Watford were down by two goals in the 76th minute through Alexander-Arnold's free-kick that effectively sealed the tie for Jurgen Klopp's men. Liverpool tripled their lead in the 89th minute through Roberto Firmino, who headed the ball past a hapless Ben Foster.
On that note, let us take a look at the hits and flops from the game against at Vicarage Road.
#5 Hit: Roberto Firmino
Much has been said about Roberto Firmino's form in recent days as the Brazilian endured a barren spell in front of goal. A part of it could be attributed to the fact that Firmino is operating from a deeper position this season.
Firmino put in a shift against Watford and constantly pressed the likes of Pereyra, Doucoure and Deulofeu when the visitors had their share of possession. The Brazilian made a shaky start to the game and was nearly punished in the first half when he was dispossessed near the penalty box, only for Deulofeu to spurn the chance with a poor first touch.
As the game progressed, he regained his mojo and made some smart runs to draw out defenders out of position and afford the likes of Salah and Mane space to exploit. It was Firmino's neatly threaded through pass that started off the move for Liverpool's first goal as he found Sadio Mane who assisted the Egyptian in the 67th minute.
His efforts were rewarded as he headed home past Ben Foster a minute before stoppage time. This performance might just be the launch pad for Firmino as he looks to regain his mercurial form of last season.
#4 Flop: Troy Deeney
Troy Deeney disappointed in his outing against Liverpool and was well marshalled by the Centre Back pairing of Dejan Lovren and Virgil Van Dijk.
Deeney started well in the first half and nearly turned provider to Deulofeu as early as in the third minute. In spite of getting the better of Lovren on a few occasions, Deeney could not carry forward this momentum for the rest of the game.
Watford's captain neither made runs behind Liverpool's defence nor put his physicality to great use as he was bullied by Van Dijk and Lovren towards the end of the game. Along with this, he never received the requisite supply from the likes of Pereyra and Deulofeu who looked bereft of ideas in the final third.
Deeney finished the game with the pass success rate of 66%, lost 20/23 duels and was beaten in the air on 18 occasions. Overall, it was an evening to forget for Watford's captain.
#3 Hit: Virgil Van Dijk
Virgil Van Dijk seems like a breath of fresh air for the Liverpool defence and has cemented his place as one of the most influential figures in Klopp's side. In yet another fantastic display, the Dutchman formed a formidable partnership alongside Dejan Lovren against Watford, not allowing the likes of Deeney to have sniff at goal.
Van Dijk was instrumental in leading his troops at the back, making numerous blocks and interceptions in vital areas of the field. He was particularly responsible for keeping Deeney subdued for the entirety of the game. Along with Robertson, Van Dijk solidified the left-hand side of Liverpool's rearguard, which resulted in Will Hughes having no joy down the left.
His leadership came to the fore as he helped his side see out the game after being reduced to ten men following Jordan Henderson's red card in the 82nd minute. Van Dijk made a goal-saving tackle towards the end of the game that helped his side get their eighth clean sheet of the season.
In a Man of the match performance, Virgil ended the game with a pass success rate of 88%, winning 11/11 grounded duels and 8/8 aerial duels.
#2 Flop: Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson has been subject to immense criticism from the Liverpool faithful and did not do himself any favour with an irresponsible display against The Hornets.
The England international replaced Fabinho as the number 6 and was paired alongside Gini Wijnaldum in the middle of the park. Henderson was far from industrious, often looking to play back when the best option could have been to look out for a man in the final third. By this, he slowed down the momentum of Liverpool's attack during the first half.
He was booked on the hour mark after bringing down Success near the half line and almost put his team in a spot of bother after he received his marching orders eight minutes from time. It was foolish on Henderson's part to commit an unnecessary foul on Etienne Capoue as there was adequate cover in the form of Van Dijk and Lovren to stifle Watford's counter.
#1 Hit: Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah finally seems to have rediscovered his goalscoring touch as the Egyptian scored his seventh goal of the 2018/19 Premier League season.
Watford's defence dealt well with Salah during the initial exchanges as the likes of Cathcart, Masina and Mariappa marked him tightly and blocked off all supplies for Liverpool's talismanic forward. As the game progressed and fatigue crept into Watford's defence, Salah started asserting his influence on the game with smart movements behind the back four.
Salah finally broke the deadlock in the 67th minute after directing Sadio Mane's ball past Ben Foster's near post. His goal was the launch pad for Liverpool on the night as The Reds scored two more to heap more misery on Watford.
The Egyptian could have had a brace against Watford, but his header was smartly saved by Foster in the first half. In the grand scheme of things, Salah is proving to be the player his side can rely on when the going gets tough.
