JOHN BRADLEY: As weeks go, it's been another pretty good one for Liverpool.
A couple of imperious performances on the road at Bournemouth and Salzburg,
and ending the week with a new contract for the manager,
a new contract for the club vice-captain as well,
and now a chance to further forward their lead at the top of the Premier League
in their final game before Christmas.
That's tidily done by Sarr.
And the delivery was for Deeney,
it's gonna come for Deulofeu.
The pull-back is for Doucoure, who can turn.
And Van Dijk will get the ball away, but Liverpool were in a little trouble for a moment.
GARY GILLESPIE: First chance - well, first opportunity for a chance,
falls to Watford, it's a lovely ball in and any sort of contact from Deeney there
you would expect it's got to go goal-ward bound.
Here comes Hughes.
And there goes Hughes, but it's way off target in the end.
GARY GILLESPIE: He's got runners ahead of him but it kind of opens up for him.
He pulls his shot pretty badly.
JOHN: Alexander-Arnold forward.
Wijnaldum. It's just a bit lively, the ball, at the moment.
Speaking of lively, here's Salah.
Lovely spin.
Well, he had two waiting in the middle.
If he puts it towards the far corner,
it might creep in, it might find one of those in red. It did neither.
GARY: Good feet there, three around him.
See that so often these days, that he gets crowded out quite a bit, Mo Salah.
Tries to pick the cross, I think, as opposed to the shot.
JOHN: That's a nice ball, Liverpool caught out, Etienne Capoue's made a brilliant run,
three wait in the middle.
Oh, the pullback was for Abdoulaye Doucoure.
And he couldn't score.
GARY: I think Gini Wijnaldum just gets caught ball-watching a bit,
doesn't see the runner going in behind him,
and the question is, does Virgil van Dijk come out of that space at the near post
and commit himself, or does he stay?
He stood. I thought he maybe should have come out a little bit.
They're claiming for a handball, it certainly hits his hand, Joe Gomez,
but I don't think you can give a penalty for that.
JOHN: Away by Wijnaldum, Hughes throws it forward.
Firmino's flick is exquisite.
It's on for Mohamed Salah.
Absolutely marvellous goal. Stunning.
Typical Liverpool, one end of the field to the other,
the Three Amigos combine to light up Anfield once again.
GARY: Well, if you're gonna score a goal and you've been struggling,
which Liverpool have a little bit, in all fairness...
But when you've got the ability and the class of that man there,
then you've always got a chance to score a goal.
They've still got an awful long way to go, and Sadio Mane,
I was just wondering if he'd take a touch, he releases it at just the right time,
and then it's all about Mohamed Salah, once he cuts back on that right foot,
I wasn't quite sure if he was gonna hit it or not,
we've seen him on umpteen occasions cut back onto his left-hand side,
but he takes the chance. Had he taken another touch the opportunity wasn't there,
knows where the goal is,
knows where the keeper is...
and he's scored against Watford again.
JOHN: It's his second classy curler with that right foot in a matter of days.
Now Gerard Deulofeu.
It's a really good run.
Decent ball as well, it's gonna come to Ismaila Sarr...
Oh, my word.
That's a horrible miss. They might still have a chance...
Well, the young Senegalese international,
who said it was gonna be an honour and a privilege
to be on the same field as his idol and international teammate, Sadio Mane,
well, what a chance that is.
GARY: I'm not quite sure what happens there, he totally mishits this,
he's got to go with his instep, he tries to go with the inside of his foot,
his body shape is totally all wrong
and again it's a let-off for Liverpool.
It's a good opportunity.
JOHN: When they have had the ball, they've worked it pretty well at times, Watford,
when they've gone forward.
They haven't had that much of the ball. That's towards Sarr again.
Milner trying to make the challenge, and Alisson had to make the save.
Now Liverpool look to break, Watford have five back.
Liverpool have those three forward, that's Mane for Salah.
Cathcart in the way. Oh, it's come towards Mohamed Salah.
It comes off Kabasele.
GARY: He's been in the way so many times, Kabasele, it can't just be down to good luck.
Positional sense here, gets himself back in there,
this one really just hits him. Mohamed Salah on the volley.
This was at the other end just before, Sarr getting in near post.
The angle's acute.
JOHN: That's Gomez.
Shaqiri against Deulofeu isn't exactly a clash of the titans in the air,
it was won by Shaqiri.
That's his ball - oh, stunning!
Sadio Mane, absolutely brilliant.
What a header that is, what a ball by Xherdan Shaqiri.
GARY: The all-important second goal.
How often do we see Shaqiri in positions like this? The delivery is fantastic.
He's offside, isn't he?
JOHN: Marvellous header by Mane, it's not gonna count for much,
because you get the impression...
Oh, well, there you go, shows how much we know.
Liverpool will have to step it up again.
Here is the ball forward, and Alisson has to save to deny Gerard Deulofeu.
GARY: This is why you pay £75 million for a goalkeeper,
he times his run to perfection, Deulofeu, then one-on-one with Alexander-Arnold,
he beats the Liverpool full-back,
Trent a little reluctant to make the challenge in case he gives away a penalty.
JOHN: Here's Milner -
oh, glorious pass, on to Salah.
Ball running away from him, and allows Ben Foster to make the challenge.
GARY: It's the second touch, great little ball by James Milner,
you can clearly see Mohamed Salah wants to get it back onto his left foot,
I think it was Kabasele again, he wants to get across him.
JOHN: That's a lovely take by Salah again,
saw Ben Foster a little out of position and tried to go early.
GARY: The first touch has taken him a little wide,
which is inevitable with his body shape and movement.
JOHN: Mistake by Gomez, will it be a costly one?
It won't be, because...
Ho-ho. Well, it was... I would say a comedy of errors,
but anything but for the Anfield crowd and for Jürgen Klopp.
GARY: The pass from Robertson puts Gomez under all sorts of pressure,
then it's a poor pass from Andre Gray, and even worse by Virgil van Dijk.
JOHN: I think everyone inside Anfield was nervous for a moment.
Now what can Watford make of being gifted a corner?
Deulofeu's hit the woodwork. He's got another opportunity now.
GARY: I'm not sure he's trying to go for goal,
I think he's just trying to hit it low and hard to the near post.
What you would say is, Alisson follows the ball really well and is right behind it.
JOHN: Well, he will know that this has been an opportunity for his side today.
There is still a chance for them, but here's Mane at the other end.
Salah waiting, it's pulled back, Divock Origi -
Mohamed Salah!
How on earth do you finish like that? That is just...
Oh, so, so cute, so clever, so brilliant.
Beyond the realms of belief at times.
GARY: It's onside, it's a great ball by Oxlade-Chamberlain,
and you just think Divock Origi is gonna stride onto this and smash it into the net.
And the fact Cathcart is lying on the goal-line, I think that makes Salah onside.
But it's a cheeky little finish, isn't it? With his right foot again.
That's his last three goals with his right foot,
he won't mind, certainly the Liverpool fans won't mind.
What a pass by Divock Origi, great vision.
JOHN: Well, it's two for Salah, who loves scoring against Watford.
And that is just absolutely beautiful, it really is.
You're not gonna call it 'superhuman',
but mere mortals don't try things like that.
Anything but plain sailing for Liverpool at Anfield,
but what it is, is a first home clean sheet of the season.
Watford, under Nigel Pearson for the first time,
gave it everything and had plenty of chances,
but two very special moments of finishing quality from Mohamed Salah
enough to keep Watford rooted to the bottom
and Liverpool flying high on the summit at Christmas.
We already knew that, but they more than confirmed it today.