Liverpool vs. Watford: Score, Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Liverpool gained a measure of revenge on Watford, beating the Hornets 2-0 Sunday at Anfield.

Midfielders Joe Allen and Roberto Firmino were the goalscorers as the Reds moved to within two points of a top-six place.

When the two sides met previously in the Premier League on Dec. 20, Watford won 3-0 on the strength of a third-minute goal from left back Nathan Ake and a brace from forward Odion Ighalo. The match came a little over two months after Jurgen Klopp signed on as Liverpool's manager, and the club was clearly a work in progress.

The Reds have made major strides since then. They're still prone to the occasionally poor performance—most recently their 2-2 draw with Newcastle on April 23 and 3-1 defeat to Swansea City on May 1—but their run to the Europa League final shows Klopp's methods are starting to sink in.

The Reds weren't entirely convincing in the first half Sunday. They enjoyed the lion's share of possession (70 percent) but had little to show for it for much of the opening 45 minutes, registering one shot on target. Left back Alberto Moreno and winger Sheyi Ojo were dangerous out wide, but their service inside to Christian Benteke rarely found the target.

The Liverpool Echo's LFC-centric Twitter account thought Benteke was dealing with the Hornets' back four as well as the sun's glare when he tried to get on the end of crosses:

At the other end of the pitch, the Hornets were a threat on the counterattack. Liverpool's defense recovered quickly enough to stifle the Hornets' attacking moves, though, blocking three of Watford's seven first-half shots—the other four were off target.

The breakthrough came off a set piece in the 35th minute. Midfielder Philippe Coutinho quickly took a free kick and found Benteke just inside the 18-yard box. The Belgian headed a perfect pass down to Allen, who needed to react quickly to beat Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. NBC Sports Soccer shared a replay of the goal:

OptaJoe noted how the Welsh midfielder is enjoying a strong run of form:

Coutinho nearly made it 2-0 in the 48th minute. Benteke squared a nice pass across goal to the Brazilian, who mishit the ball, sending his shot well wide.

Seven minutes later, a sprawling save by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet denied Ighalo an equalizer. The Nigerian striker sent a right-footed shot that looked destined for the top left corner. Instead, Mignolet did just enough to get his fingertips on the ball, sending it out of play.

Even the Watford bench expected Ighalo to make it 1-1 in the 55th minute, per the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce:

Firmino put the match out of reach for the Hornets in the 76th minute. The Watford defense allowed the Brazilian a wealth of space as he bore down on goal. Firmino had plenty of time to line up a right-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box, and the ball slipped under Gomes and into the back of the net.

The Liverpool Echo's Andy Kelly thought Gomes was culpable for the goal:

Firmino struggled early in the season after arriving from Hoffenheim, but he has become one of Liverpool's most important players. Writer Jack Sear highlighted how much the talented midfielder has contributed in the attack:

Although this is a positive result for the Reds, their focus at this stage is almost solely on the Europa League final against Sevilla on May 18. The Reds' bid for a top-four spot ended in March when they squandered a two-goal lead and lost 3-2 to Southampton. The Europa League is their only route to Champions League football next season, and capturing a European title would be a great start to the Klopp regime.

With regard to the Premier League, the Hornets are in a similar position. They're well clear of the relegation fight yet have no chance of qualifying for a European place.

Sunday's defeat may have sealed manager Quique Sanchez Flores' fate if his future wasn't decided already. A clause in Flores' contract allows either him or the club to terminate the deal this summer.

"If my future depends on the rest of the results, of course I don’t have a future with this team," Flores said on May 1, per the Daily Mirror's Mike Walters.

Both Liverpool and Watford have a quick turnaround before their next league fixtures. The Reds welcome in Chelsea on Wednesday, while the Hornets travel to Carrow Road to take on Norwich City.

Post-Match Reaction

After the match, Klopp talked about his satisfaction with the win, per Liverpool's official Twitter account:

The manager also praised the younger players who appeared in Sunday's match, per Chris Shaw of the club's official website:

"

We had to give them the opportunity and they took it. They took the chance. Ojo, everybody saw already what a wonderful player he is. Connor Randall only a few minutes. Cameron Brannagan, I told him when he came in 'It's not your position, sorry.' But after the game I had to say 'Forget it, you can play this position too.' It was really good. Kevin Stewart worked so hard in a central position. We did everything, everything was better.

"

Allen credited Mignolet's save in the second half for helping Liverpool take all three points, per LFC TV:

Watford midfielder Ben Watson though his team did enough to get a more positive result from the match.

"In the first half, we created chances and didn't take them," he said, per BBC Sport's Mandeep Sanghera. "We came out second half and gave it a real go, and were unlucky not to get anything out of the game."

Watson added Flores still has the full support of his team: "There's been loads of talk of late [about the manager]. All of the boys are behind the manager."