Watford will be four points clear of Liverpool in the Premier League this Christmas after beating the Reds 3-0 to record their fourth win in a row.
Stand-in Liverpool goalkeeper Adam Bogdan lost the ball to allow on-loan Chelsea youngster Nathan Ake to fire the Hornets in front early on, before Odion Ighalo’s brace completed the rout.
If you are a Reds fan, this won’t make for happy reading, but, if you can stomach it, check out our Liverpool player ratings vs Watford below.
GK: Adam Bogdan – 3/10
Having been drafted in as a late replacement for injured no.1 Simon Mignolet, Bogdan’s Premier League debut for Liverpool started horrendously, as a handling error gifted Ake a goal inside three minutes. Sadly for Bogdan, that wasn’t his only mistake on a clumsy afternoon for the former Bolton man.
SEE MORE: Adam Bogdan howler video: Liverpool keeper’s shocking gaffe pounced on by Chelsea loanee
RB: Nathaniel Clyne – 5/10
Defended OK, but was very poor going forward. His passing was simply not good enough either.
CB: Martin Skrtel – 4/10
Looked unsettled. Was beaten to a long ball and overpowered by Ighalo for Watford’s second goal on 15 minutes. Skrtel was subbed off before half time, after coming off worse in another physical battle – this time Troy Deeney. Divock Origi (6/10) replaced Skrtel as Jurgen Klopp reshuffled his side, to no avail.
CB: Mamadou Sakho – 7/10
Didn’t seem fazed by the strength of Ighalo and Deeney, but was unable to stop Watford’s front two on his own.
LB: Alberto Moreno – 5/10
Missed a tackle in the build up to Watford’s third goal. Ran hard all game, but was somewhat reckless.
CM: Lucas – 5/10
Drew the short straw following Skrtel’s injury when he was shifted to centre-half, where he had a fairly horrible time.
CM: Emre Can – 4/10
Lacked spirit. And composure. And lots of other things. Can was awful.
CM Jordan Henderson – 6/10
Tried hard to make things happen and got stuck in.
AM: Philippe Coutinho – 5/10
Coutinho is a brilliant player on his terms, but far too often he goes missing. He looked like the most likely Liverpool player to spark a comeback, but only because of what he has done before. He started a very promising counter-attack by attempting a one-two with Origi, but he had run into an offside position before his pass had even reached the Belgian.
AM: Adam Lallana – 6/10
Got dragged back to defend so often that he was unable to show off his attacking talent. Hooked 20 minutes from the end to give Jordon Ibe (6/10) a run out.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 4/10
Failed miserably as Liverpool’s false nine. He was unable to keep hold of the ball and was subbed off on 73 minutes, meaning he has still never completed a full game for the Reds. Replacement Christian Benteke (5/10) was a slight improvement.