Liverpool - Steven Gerrard's second-half strike gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Championship side Watford in the first leg of their League Cup semifinal at Anfield on Tuesday.
But Watford, who have already knocked Premiership duo Southampton and Portsmouth out of the League Cup this season, will still have everything to play for when they welcome Liverpool to Vicarage Road for the second leg on January 25.
"Watford made it a battle. They played very well. We expected to win this game easily but it's going to be a difficult second leg for sure," Gerrard, who admitted Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez had given a stern team-talk at the break.
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"The manager was on about our attitude. He felt as if we had under-estimated Watford and he told us to pass the ball a lot quicker and fight a little bit more because we never matched them in the first half."
Watford boss Ray Lewington said he was proud of the way his team had played against a strong Liverpool side.
"It's a great result but it could have been better. We deserved to get a draw," he said.
He added he was confident that his side could score twice against Liverpool in the return leg.
"Of course we can. It's going to be a real good game.
"We may not have the same size of crowd but our lot (fans) will go at them."
The Hornets, 16th in the Championship, outplayed Liverpool, fifth in the Premier League, during a goalless first half.
And that was despite Liverpool fielding a strong side with club captain Gerrard and Dietmar Hamann in midfield although inexperienced duo Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama-Pongolle were up front.
Watford meanwhile made just one change from the side which held Fulham in the FA Cup on Saturday, with veteran Wales goalkeeper Paul Jones replacing Alec Chamberlain.
A year ago to the day, Jones made his Liverpool debut while on loan from Wolves.
The visitors went close when Hameur Bouazza and Brynjar Gunnarsson were both narrowly off target with powerful headers.
After the break, however, Liverpool looked a sharper side. Gerrard released Mellor with a precise through ball in the 51st minute but his weak shot was blocked by the legs of the advancing Jones.
That was Mellor's last significant contribution of the evening before he was replaced by Milan Baros, Liverpool's leading scorer this season, who was returning from a hamstring injury.
The introduction of the Czech striker added extra fizz into Liverpool's attack and moments after coming on he played a key role in creating Gerrard's 56th minute goal.
Sinama Pongolle's pass found Baros, who had timed his run superbly, and he sprinted out down the left.
Baros's cut-back cross was palmed out by Jones but only as far as Gerrard whose powerful goalbound shot from 12 yards went in off the head of unlucky Watford defender Neil Cox.
Liverpool had the ball in the Watford net for a second time in the 67th minute through Baros but his effort was disallowed after he was fractionally offside when receiving another defence-splitting pass from the increasingly influential Gerrard.
However, Watford were still in the game and it needed a well-timed tackle from Liverpool defender Djimi Traore to disposess in-form striker Heidar Helgusson on the edge of the box in the 72nd minute.
Watford though kept pressing and only another last-ditch intervention from Traore in the final minute of normal time prevented Helgusson from getting a shot away as he waited for a high-bouncing ball to drop.
Premier League leaders Chelsea face Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in Wednesday's second semi-final first leg tie. - AFP
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