Paul Tomkins has written his own take on the match, which he attended, here. Andrew Beasley, Daniel Rhodes, Chris Rowland and other TTT regulars will give their thoughts for 24 hours after the game, and we’ll have all the post-match statistics too.

Post-Match Thoughts

Andrew Beasley

It wasn’t great, but it didn’t need to be. Three points were all that mattered – cliché alert – and Diogo Jota duly delivered them. He scored the opener and he won the penalty.

A penalty that was awarded following VAR review, by the way, and at the Kop end for good measure. That has never previously happened in a Premier League match, and it means that the Reds have now been awarded as many spot kicks following review in almost three seasons as the mighty Sheffield United received in two.

But while the penalty made the points secure, I could have done with Liverpool’s second goal occurring far earlier. As a nervous fan, the Reds can be hard to watch at times, particularly at Anfield. It’s not their fault, they just face teams who defend deeply and Liverpool’s defensive tactics mean any opposition clearance or hoof downfield can feel like a good chance is just around the corner. This was definitely one of those days, with the Hornets edging the clear-cut count by 2-1 prior to the penalty.

This article – the rest of my take on the game and the views of the other writers – is for subscribers only. See details below for how to sign up for £5 a month.

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