RELIVE: Watford lose out in narrow defeat to Liverpool
Hornets sunk by Can wonder goal
Klopp: ‘It went how we wanted’
Mazzarri feels Lady Luck deserted Watford in Liverpool loss
RATINGS: Gomes impresses as Amrabat struggles against Reds
Janmaat focused on positives despite Liverpool defeat
Emre Can scored one of the goals of the season as Liverpool beat a poor Watford to capitalise on favourable results in the race for the Champions League.
Emre Can scored a contender for goal of the season as Liverpool remained in the driving seat for a top-four finish with a 1-0 victory at Watford.
Emre Can was still smiling in disbelief as he attempted to piece together the moment which had thrust hopes of reaching the Champions League firmly back into Liverpool’s hands. “I saw the space and I ran in behind,” he said, presumably referring to the area vacated by Adrian Mariappa who had been drawn forward sensing the true threat lay with Roberto Firmino. “My first thought was that I wanted to head it. Then I didn’t think too much.” Instinct took over in the airborne split-second which followed and an ugly contest was transformed.
When the goal came, at the very end of the first half, it felt so out of place with a game this bad, so at odds with the lack of quality here, that it felt for a second as if Craig Pawson might disallow it for encroachment from another, better match.
I had intended to begin proceedings in rib-tickling and topical fashion with some sort of mock election manifesto. However, I quickly realised that my policy platform comprised little beyond a desire to roll back thirty years’ worth of progress: no substitute goalkeepers, an offside law that Alan Shearer can understand, compulsory Bovril, proper kickoff times, proper tackling, proper pitches, that sort of thing. Common sense. Back to basics. Take back control. Make football great again. You can do your own punchline.
At the end of a busy bank holiday weekend, it felt rather odd to be going to a game on the Monday evening. You certainly had to feel sorry for the Liverpool fans who would get home in the early hours with work beckoning in the morning.