SADIO MANE has given Liverpool an early lead at Vicarage Road.
The striker latched on to Mo Salah’s sublime outside-of-the-foot pass with a cool finish for the opening goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold returns for the Reds after missing the 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
And Claudio Ranieri takes charge in the Hornets dugout for the first time since his arrival at Vicarage Road.
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- Watford team: Foster, Femenia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Rose, Sarr, Kucka, Sissoko, Masina, Hernandez; Dennis.
- Liverpool team: Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Henderson, Keita, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
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Stay up to date with every twist and turn from Vicarage Road in our live blog…
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
35. Good defending.
This time Sissoko does well over on the left hand side.
He reads an Andy Robertson pass to intercept a ball intended for Salah on the edge of the Watford box.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
34. Danny Rose has gone down injured after Salah breezes past him again.
Sissoko does well to come across on the cover and poke the ball away from Salah.
Sissoko has been Watford’s best player so far, and has been alert to the danger Salah possesses on that right hand side.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
33. The game has just gone into a bit of a lull.
Watford will be delighted if they can go into the break just a goal down.
They can’t be this bad again in the second half.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
32. This time the ball is cleared downfield by the Hornets.
Just under 15 minutes to play until the break.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
31. Robertson’s delivery is headed away at the front post for another corner.
The Scotsman will take again.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
30. Liverpool corner.
Keita does well to win the ball back off Kucka on the edge of the Watford box.
He tries to slide a pass in towards Mane but the ball is deflected behind for a corner.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
29. Hernandez goes down under a challenge by Robertson on the edge of the Liverpool box.
He looks up at John Moss hoping for a free-kick, but gets absolutely nothing.
The referee gives a big shake of the head.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
27. Replays suggest Hernandez was in fact offside.
The goal wouldn’t have counted.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
26. GREAT CHALLENGE!
Mane gives the ball away sloppily in the middle of the pitch and Sarr pounces.
He drives forward, before sliding the ball into the path of Hernandez in the box.
It looks like all he has to do is score past Kelleher, but Alexander-Arnold comes out of nowhere to put in a last ditch sliding challenge.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
25. A selection of snaps after 25 minutes at Vicarage Road.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
24. Sarr latches on to a long ball over the top and the flag stays down.
Liverpool barely even defend as Sarr cuts inside to his left, they know he’s offside.
The flag does eventually go up to groans from the home crowd.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
22. Alexander-Arnold drills another excellent pass into the feet of Firmino in the middle of the park.
He has Keita to his left in acres of space, but elects to play the ball to the right.
Watford though manage to get enough bodies back to snuff out the danger.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
21. Twenty minutes gone at Vicarage Road.
And Watford have completed just 19 passes so far, less than a pass a minute…
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
20. CHANCE!
That should be 2-0!
Alexander-Arnold puts Salah clean through on goal down the right, with Masina appealing for offside.
There’s no flag though but Salah gets his touch all wrong, allowing Foster to clear.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
18. Watford enter Liverpool’s third of the pitch for the first time in the game down the left hand side.
Van Dijk is across well though, using his body to shield Sarr from getting to the ball.
He comfortably sees it out for a goal kick.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
17. The home crowd have been stunned into silence.
Virgil Van Dijk’s name echoes around Vicarage Road from the away end.
Watford will need the home crowd to get behind them if they have any hopes of getting back into this game.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
16. Liverpool have had 87% of possession so far!
That is quite some domination.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
15. CHANCE!
The ball drops to Milner in the box and he plays it into the path of Salah.
The Egyptian lets fly but is denied by an excellent block by Danny Rose.
This is looking like it could be a cricket score…
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SUPER SADIO
Sadio Mane putting Liverpool ahead at Vicarage Road.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
13. Watford just can’t get out of their own half.
Every time they get the ball it’s sent forward in the air but Van Dijk and Matip are there to win it easily and set up another Liverpool attack.
You wouldn’t be surprised if Ranieri made a change already here.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
11. GOOD SAVE!
It’s Salah yet again.
He picks the ball up on the edge of the Watford box and lets fly.
It looks to be heading for the top corner, but Foster flies to his right to tip it behind for a corner.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
10. Liverpool are well worthy of their early lead.
Mo Salah especially has been absolutely electric.
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WATFORD 0-1 LIVERPOOL
9. Salah easily shrugs off the challenge of Danny Rose on the right and then he’s on his bike.
He looks up and sees Mane making a run into the middle from the left.
Salah finds him perfectly, playing an inch-perfect pass with the outside of his boot into Mane.
He then does the rest, sweeping the ball past Foster and into the bottom corner.
Great goal!
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GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLL!!
SADIO MANE PUTS LIVERPOOL AHEAD!
IT’S TAKEN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES!
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WATFORD 0-0 LIVERPOOL
8. Firmino tries a reverse ball towards Mane on the left hand side of the box but the two aren’t on the same wavelength.
Watfor goal-kick.