A 5-0 drubbing may leave little to be excited about, but Andy Lewers from the Watford Fan Show believes there’s plenty of reason for optimism.

It was a miserable afternoon up in Merseyside, as Watford fell to a 5-0 defeat on the road. A goal from Mohamed Salah after four minutes set the tone for the rest of the game, before the Egyptian went on to score three more with Firmino adding the other.

There is never much to say after such a disappointing defeat and even if there was it takes a special kind of someone to dissect the game and re-live the misery.

So, after finally getting the feeling back in my fingers following a freezing afternoon, I thought instead of looking back on the defeat we focus on five positives we can take from the thrashing in Merseyside.

The return of Craig Cathcart

Having been side-lined for the majority of the season through injury, it was great to see Cathcart named on the bench for the clash against the Reds.

Cathcart has been missing from the squad since August, after hobbling off during our home game against Brighton. Our injury crisis in defence this season has led to his absence being more evident than usual, with the likes of Sebastian Prodl, Miguel Britos, Younes Kaboul, Christian Kabasele and Molla Wague having all missed games this season through injury.

Cathcart has been a key feature in our back line for the past few seasons and is often a calm head when needed. It’s good to see him back.

Winnable games upcoming

Even the most optimistic of Watford fans will admit we weren’t really expected to get anything from the Arsenal and Liverpool games. However, now that these games are over with we go into a favourable run of fixtures which should hopefully see us reach mathematical safety.

Three home games against Bournemouth, Burnley and Crystal Palace and an away game against Huddersfield on paper looks promising for the Hornets. We all know of course that we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves, given how December played out against several teams in the bottom half of the table, but I’d like to think with Javi’s impressive home record we could get a couple of wins in that run.

Will Hughes impressed again 

It’s not easy coming on at 3-0 down at Anfield and trying change the game, but Will Hughes again looked lively after coming off the bench.

He put himself about, reclaimed possession and tried to push us forward whenever he had the chance. His performances recently have, for me, merited him a place in the starting XI against Bournemouth in two weeks’ time.

Defensive frailties exposed

While it’s potentially clutching at straws to find a positive in a 5-0 defeat, the manner and ease at which Liverpool sauntered through our defence at times was only good in the sense that it highlighted the serious need for investment over the summer.

Our aging backline this season has been blighted by injuries, and if you had told me at the start of the season that Mariappa would have been a regular starter towards the end I wouldn’t have believed you.

There’s no hiding or denying that the defence has always been an issue and it’s time for some big investment once the transfer window opens.

Karnezis showing signs of a keeper

in form On the face of it, it seems odd I would pick out the keeper as a positive on the back of a 5-0 defeat. However, it’s not every day you come up against the likes of Salah waltzing through a defence that was at times parting like the Red Sea.

Despite the abuse on his goalmouth, Karnezis managed to pull off a couple of good saves and was very quick off his line to snuff out several Liverpool through balls before Salah could get on the end of them.

Since coming into the starting XI he’s cemented his spot with some fine one-on-one saves and by being a commanding presence in the area and long may it continue.

Don’t forget you can listen to The Watford Fan Show and have your say on all things Hornets on Love Sport Radio every Sunday, 7-8pm, 558AM, DAB and online.