Liverpool beat Watford 5-0 in Vicarage Road as Firmino nets hat-trick while Salah scores wonderful goal |

Liverpool made Claudio Ranieri’s Premier League return one to forget as they battered Watford 5-0 with Roberto Firmino grabbing a hat-trick.

There was to be no new manager bounce factor for Watford with Sadio Mane scoring after just eight minutes, setting the tone for a completely dominant Liverpool performance and netting his 100th Premier League goal in the process.

Firmino grabbed the first of his three on 37 minutes from a James Milner cross before Mohamed Salah got the goal his play deserved courtesy of another outstanding individual goal. Firmino tapped home his second on 52 minutes before wrapping up his hat-trick in injury time.

The rampant Reds stretched their unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions and sit top of the Premier League for the time being.

Player ratings

Watford: Foster (6), Rose (3), Ekong (5), Cathcart (4), Masina (3), Femenia (5), Sissoko (6), Kucka (5), Sarr (5), Dennis (4), Hernandez (4)

Subs: Cleverley (5), Pedro (6), Ngakia (6)

Liverpool: Kelleher (7), Robertson (7), Alexander-Arnold (8), Matip (7), Van Dijk (9), Milner (8), Henderson (7), Keita (7), Firmino (9), Mane (8), Salah (9)

Subs: Oxlade-Chamberlain (7), Tsi