Liverpool put five past Watford in Ranieri's first game

Claudio Ranieri was hired by Watford to bring some stability to the side after a rocky run of form but there was nothing that the Italian coach could do to stop a rampant Liverpool side, as the Reds cruised to a 5-0 win at Vicarage Road.

Liverpool came bursting out of the traps, as Mohamed Salah set up Sadio Mane with an outside-of-the-foot assist for the Senegalese to tuck away his 100th Premier League goal.

The hosts simply couldn't get out of their own half in the opening period, and went down 2-0 before the break as James Milner set up Roberto Firmino for an easy finish.

The second half followed a similar theme, as a dejected Watford left gaping holes for the efficient Reds attack.

Andy Robertson's attempted cross for Salah was cut out by Craig Cathcart but the ball fell kindly for Firmino to tap in his second on 52 minutes.

Moments later, it was 4-0 to the visitors, as Salah produced another moment of magic, with a solo goal reminiscent of the one he scored against Manchester City in the last round of matches.

The Egyptian weaved in and out of the Watford backline before curling the ball into the far corner of Ben Foster's net.

Then, in injury time, substitute Neco Williams laid the ball on a plate for Firmino to net his hat-trick.

The win puts Liverpool two points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table, although the Blues are set to face Brentford later in the day.

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