Watford 3 Liverpool 0.
And so Liverpool's long run of eighteen consecutive Premier League wins comes to an end one short of establishing a new record. They have equalled the record set by Manchester City but not beaten it. But what they have done is a magnificent achievement.
Jurgen Klopp made the mistake of thinking that Watford were there for the taking and fielded a weakened team, presumably to rest some players for the second leg Champions League match against Atletico Madrid in the week.
To put tonight's result into perspective, this is only the second Premier League defeat for Liverpool since the start of the 2018/19 season. Their only other defeat was in January 2019 at the Etihad Stadium when City beat them 2-1. That is one heck of a record and deserves respect. Kudos too, to Watford who weren't intimidated by Liverpool's record tonight and came out and had a go. Liverpool weren't outplayed, but they were out-fought.
Liverpool currently trail Atletico Madrid 0-1 from the first leg and know that if Atletico score one, Liverpool will have to score three to progress. When you play the first leg away from home, you HAVE to get an away goal or the advantage lies very firmly with the opposition.
I still expect them to beat Atletico though. I think they can get three goals for the Kop.
But they will have had a long journey home tonight having tasted defeat for the first time this season. It won't stop them winning the Premier League but it will put the celebrations back by at least one match and they won't equal Preston North End and Arsenal in going an entire league season unbeaten (Preston were unbeaten in ALL competitions in 1888/89. They are the true 'Invincibles' no matter what the Gooners claim).
It's a bit of a moot point, but tonight, Liverpool went home from North London empty handed. Tomorrow, City will be just a few miles away at Wembley where, if they beat Aston Villa in the League Cup Final, they will come home with the first available trophy of the season, their 7th League Cup win, and be closing in on Liverpool's record of 8 wins in the competition.
I suppose that's fair in a way. Liverpool have equalled City's record of 18 consecutive Premier League wins, City will get closer to Liverpool's record of League Cup wins.
A very 'nearly equitable' state of affairs.
@shadowen Said
And I suppose there has never been a time when the "The Football Association Challenge Cup" has been simply called "The FA Cup"!
You do realise that what officials call a competition and what fans call it are not always the same thing? No of course you don't. But why would you when you have posted on a number of occasions how much you loath footy fans.
Back to the League Cup. All of the football fans I have ever known have always referred to the cup in question as the "League Cup". I have for example never heard a Scottish fan proclaim that their team won "The Scottish League Cup", never mind the bloody "Betfred Cup". I suppose you think the fans talk about how their team is doing in the "Ladbrokes Premiership". Wonder how many City fans spoke about their team lifting "The Emirates FA Cup" last season.
What are you drivelling on about you pig-ignorant antipodean poseur..?
Of course football supporters don't use the proper term. They're all as thick as mince and live and die by a code of meaningless cliches and dumb songs that glorify hooliganism, racism and homophobia. I agree with you when you say I hole football supporters in contempt because I do. Don't think for one second that I've got any problem with being called out on that fact.
What I do care about though, is the game. I love it's pace, it's athleticism, it's ability to thrill and lift the spirit. The game itself is magnificent. it's wasted on the morons that follow it.
You fall into that category with your relentless attempts to identify with a sport that is big in a country you hate by using slang terms that nobody here has used since the last century. Zombie Huns...? really..? Oh, do behave. That is just sooooooooo 1970's.
I'm not necessarily a football fan. Rugby Union, the Olympic Games (summer and winter) and Netball are my true sporting passions but I commit to football because it is what the English identify with the most. It's special to us as a people and frankly, being lectured on its culture by an Australian is like an Argentinian telling Einstein that physics should never be taught by Germans.