*Senegalese born Ismaila Sarr tipping the ball beyond Liverpool goalkeeper
Liverpool players and Liverpool fans all over the world would remember the name Ismaila Sarr for a very long time. Coincidentally the Senegalese player that was born on February 25, 1998 chose the last day of his birth month to humiliate Liverpool, the runner away Premier League leaders. On the other hand, Arsenal fans all over the world would be highly delighted with the Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a winger for Watford. He has helped them to stop a recreation of the invincible record only Arsenal can boast of in the English Premier League.
Before now, both Manchester United and Manchester City have tried to equal that pristine record but somehow, just somehow, it did not happen. Liverpool have played some amazing football this season but it took a Watford that is languishing on the bottom of the premier league table to do the damage. This season, there is no argument that lovers of good football love the metal football Liverpool have played this season and would not have any qualms when the win the league the first time in 30 years. But football followers knew that it would be a matter of days before it happens. Nobody however believed it would be Watford that will do Arsenal the honour of helping them preserve their most cherished record.
Oliver Holt, who writes for The Mail on Sunday writes, “We knew it would happen sometime but of all the places in all of England, no one expected it to happen at Vicarage Road on a bitter evening in February against a Watford team fighting for its life. Disbelief lingered in the cold night air. The defeat will only be cosmetic. It will not stop Liverpool winning their first league title for 30 years. But it felt like a seismic shock nonetheless. They had, after all, only dropped two points in 27 matches before this encounter. It had begun to seem likely that they would gild their title triumph by going the whole season unbeaten but two goals from Ismaila Sarr and another from Troy Deeney put paid to that tilt at history.
“Nigel Pearson’s team handed Liverpool their first league defeat since their loss to Manchester City on January 3, 2019. It means that their lead over City at the top of the table remains at a mere 22 points. This was a blow to their pride but it probably only means they will clinch the league in early April rather than late March. But they will not emulate Arsenal’s Invincibles, nor will they surpass that team’s record of 49 league games unbeaten. Liverpool’s own unbeaten run ended here on 44 unbeaten games. It also scotched their chance of setting a new European leagues record of 19 straight wins. None of that will matter to them particularly when they are holding the Premier League trophy.
“Watford thoroughly deserved their win, which moved them out of the relegation zone on goal difference. They were better than Liverpool in every department. ‘It will be tough and very physical,’ Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had said before the game. ‘They’ll show how much it means for them, we have to make sure we show what it means for us.’ For once, Liverpool did not do that. By the end of the match, the Watford fans were delirious. ‘Can we play you every week?’ they sang giddily. Liverpool will get over it. It will be remembered as a blip in a marvellous league season but this was Watford’s night.”