Liverpool and Watford took the cue from Arsenal and Leicester City last night and played out another goal fest for the second game of the Premier League season.
The Reds twice went behind but looked like coming away with a narrow 3-2 win before a late, late equaliser from the home side earned Marco Silva an unlikely point in his first game in charge of the Hornets.
Stefano Okaka made it 1-0 to Watford after just eight minutes after some sloppy defending that hurt Liverpool’s ability to sustain a title challenge last season.
Sadio Mane levelled with a fine team goal on 29 minutes, but Watford were back in front just three minutes later through Abdoulaye Doucoure after yet more shocking play at the back from the visitors.
Liverpool fought back as Roberto Firmino coolly slotted away a penalty, won by debutant Mohamed Salah, who then applied the finish from Firmino’s lobbed pass just two minutes later.
More poor defending allowed Miguel Britos to bundle home a third in stoppage time making it 3-3 and perhaps giving the game the result it deserved.
Liverpool, lining up in their customary 4-3-3 formation, controlled the game from kickoff at Vicarage Road, but it was Watford who made their mark first.
After Stefano Okaka threaded Roberto Pereyra through on the break, with Dejan Lovren blocking the Argentine’s resulting shot, the Hornets’ No. 33 was on hand to head home the corner.
Watford continued to stifle the Reds in the first half-hour, ensuring Klopp’s midfielders had little time on the ball to feed his new-look forward line.
But with Sadio Mane picking the ball up in space, the Senegalese led a sweeping move, interchanging with Alberto Moreno and Emre Can, before curling the ball past Heurelho Gomes to make it 1-1.
It wasn’t long before the Hornets struck back, however, and it was Abdoulaye Doucoure who poked home from close range to put the home side ahead for the second time.
The Reds returned to toothlessness thereafter, with Salah blazing over from the edge of the six-yard box and Mane missing with a header, as Anthony Taylor blew for half-time at 2-1.
Klopp opted against making any changes at half-time, keeping faith with his starting lineup, and was swiftly rewarded for doing so.
With the ball threaded through for Salah into the box and Gomes rushing out, the Egyptian darted in and nipped it away from the Watford goalkeeper, brought down for a penalty in the process.
Firmino, who has taken over penalty duties from James Milner, slotting home, before turning provider for Salah two minutes later, with the winger scoring a debut goal to put Liverpool ahead.
Liverpool maintained control throughout the second half, and the pace of Salah in particular proved consistently troubling for Watford, regularly found beyond the home defence.
Georginio Wijnaldum had a great opportunity to put the icing on the cake when found in the penalty area late on, but the Dutchman skewed.
That proved pivotal, as with Watford making a late rally at the opposite end, Miguel Britos tucked home to make it 3-3.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told BBC Sport: "We were unlucky in the end. The equaliser was offside. It’s obvious because the linesman is on the line. He needs to see it.
"Watford's first goal was a good cross and a good run. That’s just good. Well done really. The first half I wasn’t too happy with.
"We passed but couldn’t see what we actually wanted. The second half was a lot better. We forgot to close the game. We defended a little deep. We have to push up. Both teams struggled with 90 minutes, it’s the first game. That’s normal.
"I cannot change it [the late goal]. We would have had defensive areas we need to work on if we’d won 3-2. We were the better team, we should have won."
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