44 games. Forty-four contests without defeat.
Liverpool were on course for the most unprecedented season in Premier League history, until Ismaila Sarr and Watford came along and destroyed the Reds by three goals to nil on an incredible evening at Vicarage Road.
Records were in their grasp. And like that. Poof. Gone.
Arsenal's
Unlike the Liverpool defence. Jurgen Klopp's men shipped three goals - and probably should have conceded more - as the Hornets ran riot against the Premier League champions-to-be.
The Reds were calamitous in defence, and there was plenty of gesticulating and flailing arms among the incredulous backline. Mainly directed at Dejan Lovren.
But what exactly went wrong on this fateful night for the Merseyside club?
Well, this is what the Liverpool players had to say after the dust had settled on an almost record breaking evening.
'Just a Blip' - Andy Robertson
“Watford were at it from the start and we took time to get going. We had a couple of good moments but nowhere near enough for this Liverpool team,” Robertson told Liverpoolfc.com post-match.
“It’s a performance that has not been expected for a number of years by the fans and we can only apologise for this performance. It’s up to us to bounce back.
“Up to this point it has still been a fantastic season but today we weren’t at the races, we weren’t the Liverpool that everyone has watched.
“It’s up to us to now show that this defeat hurts and up to us to now go and put a run together that will crown us champions.
“We really need to put in a proper LFC performance and show everyone that this was just a blip, that now we’re going to crack on and get to where we want to be. Everyone knows where that is – but it’s up to us to now show it.”
'Not Acceptable' - Virgil van Dijk
"First of all, credit to Watford," Van Dijk told Sky Sports
"They deserved it with the chances they created. They stuck to their plan. They scored three goals and I don't think we created too many chances. We want to look to ourselves and we have to improve again. It is a tough one to take.
"The last game was one set piece and one good goal. Today, we should be better. If you look at the whole season, we have been good defensively. I think we have the most clean sheets in the league. The good thing about our mentality is that we will work to improve.
"It is not acceptable that we lose here 3-0. Losing hurts. The records are for the media. We never mentioned it.
'Time to Regroup' - Georginio Wijnaldum
Tough losses should be an opportunity to improve. Time to regroup and give it our all in the very next opportunity we get #YNWA #WATLIV pic.twitter.com/5MSs4lV4Zc
— Gini Wijnaldum (@GWijnaldum) February 29, 2020
Georginio Wijnaldum was defiant in defeat for the Reds, stating on Twitter that 'tough losses should be an opportunity to improve. to regroup and give it our all in the very next opportunity we get.'
What the Manager Said...
Klopp was less than impressed with his players' performances when speaking to Sky Sports at the end of the match, but he sees the defeat as a release from the shackles, and it gives his team the chance to 'play free football'.
"Tonight we were not good enough and it is not a plus for me that in history they will look back in 500 years and say Liverpool nearly did it.
"Nearly did it is not my main concern. We cannot change that and any time we will lose a game, we will lose a game.
"We didn't wait for it, but it was clear it would happen so we didn't think about it. We still knew it would happen and tonight it happened.
"I see it rather positive because the closer we get to these records, I am not bothered, but I am not sure how other people think about that so from now on we can play free football and don't have to defend or try to get the record.
"We just try to win football games again and that is what we will do."
But for now, an eery silence lingers over Anfield. The usual Instagram and Twitter posts have not surfaced on our news feeds yet, and so for now, we have to wait for the rest of the squad's reaction.
A fantastic achievement, nonetheless.
Source : 90min