🔗 Share this article

Nottingham Forest's victory at Anfield the previous campaign seemed an anomaly in an usually strong top-flight home campaign for the Merseyside club. This recurrence now, a much more emphatic triumph under their manager, was symptomatic of the challenges engulfing the struggling champions.

Forest's superb display

Nottingham Forest proved exemplary as they secured their most significant triumph at the famous ground. Goals from the defender, superb at both ends of the field, the full-back and the magnificent Gibbs-White led to a deserved success for a Forest side that also maintained a maid clean sheet in twenty division fixtures.

Liverpool's difficulties

The Reds, in comparison, were a chaotic as they suffered an 8th defeat in eleven games to slide into the bottom half of the standings. Weak at set pieces, once more, impotent in attack, consistently, with Isak withdrawn after sixty-eight quiet minutes, and vulnerable at the back, they struggled in each phase to yield to a second successive heavy reverse.

Opening control without result

For 30 minutes the Reds enjoyed the upper hand, the sporadic counter from Morgan Gibbs-White apart, but the inability to convert chances into the tangible reward of finishes cost them dearly. Mac Allister was offered an early-on opening from Gakpo's run into the area only for the Forest player to execute a brilliant line save with his head. Mac Allister had a follow-up attempt stopped shortly after while impressive footwork from the winger created another close-range chance for Milos Kerkez. A Forest defender just did enough to disturb the defender into blazing over.

Set-play weakness strikes once more

The manager has repeatedly lamented the team's weakness to counterattacks and set pieces now. He was given further evidence for complaint when the visitors took the lead through a blend of the two.

Sean Dyche was shocked after Igor Jesus failed to release Nicolás Domínguez in space on the fast attack and allowed the defender the opening to clear. The following corner kick sparked jubilant scenes in the away team's area, though, when Anderson's cross touched the captain to the goalscorer and the defender hammered an irresistible finish from six yards into the opposite side. It brought similarities of the captain's ruled out finish against Manchester City in the visitors' initial score with Ndoye located in an offside in front of Liverpool's returning keeper the Brazilian.

The review system rulings and dispute

Unsurprisingly, the Liverpool captain was quick to point out the comparisons to the referee, Andrew Madley. But unlike Robertson at the Etihad Stadium, the forward made no obvious action in front of the keeper and the strike was given. The league confirmed: "The on-field decision of a score was examined and upheld by the assistant – with it deemed that he was away from the view of the goalkeeper and made no an action that affected an defender."

Liverpool were reprieved by the officiating team and video review 120 seconds following when the striker believed he had doubled Nottingham Forest's cushion.

The defender, who endured a dreadful afternoon, made an unconvincing effort to deal with an Sangaré's cross and deflected the sphere against the Forest striker, who controlled before slotting the lower corner of the keeper's goal. The referee, in communication with his assistant referee, disallowed the strike for a illegal use of hand that multiple footage were unable to verify or deny. League officials stated: "The ruling of disallowed strike was checked and confirmed by the system – with it deemed that Jesus unintentionally handled the ball before netting."

Another score increases cushion

So much for the let-off. Moments of the kick-off Mac Allister did not cut out a pass towards Williams inside the Liverpool penalty area. The former Liverpool defender spun away from his defender and set up the visitors' second on a platter for teammate full back Nicolò Savona, who found Alisson's upper corner with a composed accurate strike.

Tactical substitutions prove ineffective

Arne Slot made changes, substituting Konaté with the forward after the 55th minute and using the France attacker with Alexander Isak. That experiment lasted for only less than a quarter-hour before Alexander Isak was substituted following another quiet showing. the winger and the youngster were also added to the Anfield's frontline but sloppiness in play and solid Forest defending kept the home side at arm's length.

Late strike confirms the outcome

Forest displayed the precision and penetration that Liverpool were missing in the opposition half to put the contest {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively