Liverpool has to accept its first defeat of the season. Against relegation candidates Watford, the Reds are surprisingly well under the wheels.
Liverpool FC’s undefeated series is over! The Reds have suffered their first defeat of the season.
The team of Jürgen Klopp is defeated by FC Watford 0:3 (0:0). Ismalia Sarr (54th/60th) and Troy Deeney (72nd) brought the relegation candidate to a surprise success.
Van Dijk congratulates Watford after the bankruptcy
After 26 wins and a draw, Liverpool concede their first defeat of the current season on the 28th matchday. The Reds thus missed out on setting FC Arsenal’s PL record from the 2003/2004 season. The Gunners were undefeated for an entire season.
Liverpool’s defensive chief Virgil van Dijk congratulated the underdog on their victory. “This is thanks to Watford, they played well, fought a lot, were very disciplined and scored three goals. That’s the reality – we couldn’t find a way past them. We’re now focusing on the next game, the Cup match, and trying to win there,” the Dutchman told the BBC.
The LFC must leave for London on 3 March. Then the fifth round of the FA Cup is on the cards against Chelsea FC.
Klopp: “Have to take it like a man”
Jürgen Klopp was disappointed. “You have to accept that, it’s not that easy, but it’s proof that we were not good enough tonight. If you win, fine. If you lose, try to do it the right way and take it like a man.”
The German coach was also dissatisfied with his team’s performance: “They did exactly what they wanted – we didn’t. The first half was tough, lots of second balls, we had to run here and there. We had the ball a lot of times and didn’t manage to get into good positions to cross, to get into good final positions.”
First LFC defeat after 44 games
Liverpool had not lost in 44 Premier League matches over the whole season! The Reds lost for the last time on 3 January 2019, with a 2-1 draw at Manchester City. Watford jumped to 17th place with the home win and out of the relegation ranks. The Hornets had previously waited five games for a triple.
Despite the defeat, the Reds are still the clear leaders ahead of City and have a 22-point lead over the runners-up.
The LFC fans who travelled with them celebrated their team in the closing minutes with loud “You’ll never walk alone” chants. A maximum of four wins from ten matches are still missing from the first championship since 1989/1990.