Only Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin (eight) has scored more headed Premier League goals than Diogo Jota (seven) since the start of the 2020-21 seasonLiverpool beat struggling Watford to complete a remarkable return to the top of the Premier League - for a few hours at least.
The Reds trailed Manchester City by 14 points on 15 January, but a 10th straight league win at a raucous Anfield took them above Pep Guardiola's side, whom they meet on 10 April.
Diogo Jota's 20th club goal of the season and his third in as many appearances in a red shirt - 34 seconds after Alisson made a huge save to deny Juraj Kucka - helped seal a tense win.
Portugal forward Jota jumped between two Watford defenders to meet a cross and head past Ben Foster as Joe Gomez marked only his second league start of the season with an assist.
Fabinho's late penalty - after Kucka's rugby-style challenge on Jota - secured the points.
Despite sealing a potentially significant win, Liverpool were not at their fluent best.
Joao Pedro wasted a glorious chance to equalise in the second half as Watford remain third from bottom, three points from safety.
Liverpool are two points ahead of City, who face second-bottom Burnley at Turf Moor at 15:00 BST.
Tension replaced by relief
Liverpool are back on top for the first time since October, and at the start of the final push towards a historic quadruple.
They face Benfica in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League in Portugal on Tuesday before going to City in what many are billing as the game that could decide the title.
Liverpool, already Carabao Cup winners, started the penultimate month of the campaign - in which they also face City at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final - with a hard-earned win in a game where the result was more important than the performance.
Alisson had already denied Cucho Hernandez when he spread himself to block Kucka, before Jota pounced moments later.
Unlike team-mate Mohamed Salah, Jota will be going to the World Cup later this year after helping Portugal beat North Macedonia in a play-off in midweek.
While a tired looking Salah, who was pelted with missiles and targeted by green laser pointers as Egypt missed out on the World Cup to Senegal on Tuesday, was replaced after 69 minutes, Jota could have had a hat-trick.
Having been denied a second goal by Foster before half-time, he headed another chance over the bar in front of the Kop.
Tension was replaced by relief when Fabinho's 89th-minute penalty - awarded after referee Stuart Attwell watched a replay on the pitchside monitor - ensured Liverpool got the job done.
More to follow.
Player of the match
Diogo JotaDiogo Jota
Line-ups
Liverpool
Formation 4-3-3
1Alisson
12Gomez32Matip4van Dijk26Robertson
17Jones14Henderson6Thiago Alcántara
11Salah9Firmino20Jota
1Alisson12GomezBooked at 45mins32Matip4van Dijk26Robertson17JonesSubstituted forFabinhoat 62'minutes14Henderson6Thiago AlcántaraSubstituted forMilnerat 90'minutes11SalahSubstituted forManéat 69'minutes9Firmino20JotaSubstitutes
3Fabinho5Konaté7Milner10Mané15Oxlade-Chamberlain21Tsimikas23Díaz62Kelleher66Alexander-ArnoldWatford
Formation 4-1-4-1
1Foster
21Femenía27Kabasele22Samir14Kamara
6Louza
23Sarr19Sissoko33Kucka29Hernández
10João Pedro
1Foster21Femenía27Kabasele22Samir14Kamara6LouzaSubstituted forCleverleyat 78'minutes23Sarr19Sissoko33Kucka29HernándezBooked at 59minsSubstituted forDennisat 78'minutes10João PedroSubstituted forKingat 78'minutesSubstitutes
2Ngakia7King8Cleverley11Masina12Sema15Cathcart25Dennis26Bachmann39KayembeLive Text
Match ends, Liverpool 2, Watford 0.
Second Half ends, Liverpool 2, Watford 0.
Foul by Sadio Mané (Liverpool).
Samir (Watford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Diogo Jota (Liverpool).
Juraj Kucka (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Liverpool. James Milner replaces Thiago.
Goal! Liverpool 2, Watford 0. Fabinho (Liverpool) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
VAR Decision: Penalty Liverpool.
Penalty Liverpool. Diogo Jota draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Juraj Kucka (Watford) after a foul in the penalty area.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Christian Kabasele.
Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Diogo Jota.
Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Thiago.
Offside, Watford. Juraj Kucka tries a through ball, but Emmanuel Dennis is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Sadio Mané (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Diogo Jota.
Substitution, Watford. Emmanuel Dennis replaces Cucho Hernández.
Substitution, Watford. Joshua King replaces João Pedro.
Substitution, Watford. Tom Cleverley replaces Imrân Louza.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Kiko Femenía.
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