Super Eagles duo of William Troost-Ekong and Emmanuel Dennis were in action for Watford as Liverpool convincingly thrashed the Hornets 5-0 at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both wrote their names into the history books with landmark goals to put the Reds two points clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table.
Jurgen Klopp’s side ensured that Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge would be a torrid affair, as Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino (3) struck in a comfortable success.
The home team had no answer to Liverpool’s fluid attacking play.
It was Watford’s heaviest Premier League defeat since their eight-goal hammering by Manchester City in September 2019 and their biggest at home since the same opponents scored six here two years before that.
Salah’s goal was undoubtedly the pick of the bunch as he weaved his way through a sea of Hornets defenders before curling in a delightful left-footed effort, and the Egyptian set a new personal record with that strike.
Salah had previously scored in his last seven games across all competitions, and his strike at Vicarage Road saw him score for the eighth successive match for the first time ever within Europe’s top five leagues.
Meanwhile, Mane’s opener – which was assisted by Salah – was the Senegalese attacker’s 100th goal in the Premier League, seeing him become just the third African player behind Salah and Didier Drogba to reach that milestone.
The Reds have temporarily moved to the top of the Premier League rankings following Saturday’s win and now prepare for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid.
Ranieri’s men will hope to get the disappointing defeat behind them when they travel to Goodison Park next weekend to face Everton.
