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It was a remarkable milestone in Jurgen Klopp’s reign as Liverpool manager. And it turned out to be a precursor to what would come next.
The Reds’ Premier League rivals cannot say they were not warned.
Four years ago today, Liverpool rose to the top of the top flight for the first time with Klopp after beating Watford 6-1 at Anfield.
Coming less than 13 months after the German replaced Brendan Rodgers in the Anfield hot seat, it underscored the great change he had engendered during such a relatively short period in which the League Cup final had already been reached and the final of the Europa League.
Sadio Mane scored twice, the fifth and sixth goals for his new club, while Phillipe Coutinho, Emre Can, Roberto Firmino and Gini Wijnaldum also scored with the Reds up five after an hour.
The result moved Liverpool one point from Chelsea after 11 games, with Manchester City and Arsenal adrift one more point.
Almost a year before the day, Klopp claimed he had “never felt so lonely” after seeing Anfield empty towards the end of a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace.
But with the new main stand open for nearly two months, the stadium bounced with the exciting style of attacking soccer produced by the Reds.
“Congratulations to Liverpool because I am very, very impressed,” Watford manager Walter Mazzarri said. “It’s not just their psychology and their tactical game, but also their career, their pressure. They really are a great team.”
It meant Liverpool had won 11 of their first 14 games in all competitions that season, scoring 40 goals in that span.
Of course, it didn’t last. A 4-3 loss at Bournemouth the following month knocked them off the top, while Mane’s loss to the African Cup of Nations in January sparked a streak of just two wins in 12 games that saw them fall from the World Cup. League and FA Cup. .
The foundations, however, were there. And with it came the evidence that Liverpool, under Klopp, was firmly on the right track, finding its second wind in the final months of the campaign to seal fourth place behind title winners Chelsea and a qualifying spot for the Champions League.
Of the 18 players on the roster for the afternoon match against Watford, seven (Jordan Henderson, Mane, Firmino, Wijnaldum, James Milner, Joel Matip and Divock Origi) remain with the club.
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Most are likely to be in contention for Sunday’s Premier League visit to Manchester City, where Liverpool will await the victory that will maintain their lead at the top of the opening table this season.
The Reds have become a more refined team since the whirlwind they did for Watford, possessing greater strength in depth and experience at the highest level.
However, what has not changed is the belief that already ran through their veins when they reached the top of the Premier League with Klopp.
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