For Watford, the mission was simple: Keep Mohamed Salah quiet, keep Liverpool quiet.
Or so they thought.
The visitors came with a game-plan well rehearsed in recent weeks by sides as mighty as Bayern Munich and Manchester United – double up on the Reds’ forward, and double down on the space around him.
If Jurgen Klopp’s side have had a weakness of late, it is that they have simply not been able to find a way to spring their talisman out of that bear-trap, not found a way to unleash him.
On Wednesday though, they came up with a sting of a different sort — encourage the defence to use two, three, even four men to suppress him, and then switch swiftly to feed others.
It worked in the first half spectacularly, in part because Salah was beating two or three before fencing the smuggled goods off, and in part because of Sadio Mane’s genius.
That backheel… pure filth.
Against United on Sunday when chief space-maker Roberto Firmino went off injured, he brought on Daniel Sturridge.That cramped the space, rather than created it.
Here though, the Reds boss was brave in his selection, choosing Divock Origi instead of Sturridge, and crucially – and firmly because it is never easy to drop your captain – James Milner ahead of Jordan Henderson.
Yet Klopp himself must take massive credit for a game-plan that clearly bamboozled Watford.
Origi powered down the left, relishing the extra territory Salah’s mesmeric meanderings delivered, and Milner, using his experience of operating all along that left flank, filled in brilliantly, beautifully behind and around him.
These are the calls which win not only matches, but hearts and mind… except for Henderson’s, of course.
Klopp was as bold and decisive here as he was timid at Old Trafford on Sunday, and for that he deserves acclaim and applause.