The Reds in disarray as Nottingham Forest dominate their fortress once more with a convincing triumph
The away side's victory on Merseyside last season appeared a one-off in an otherwise dominant Premier League home record for Liverpool. A second successive win now, a decisively stronger triumph under their manager, was symptomatic of the challenges plaguing the faltering champions.
The visitors' outstanding performance
The team was brilliant as they secured their most significant win at Anfield. Scores from the defender, excellent at each end of the playing surface, Nicolò Savona and the magnificent the playmaker spurred a well-earned win for a squad that also secured a first clean sheet in twenty division fixtures.
Anfield's difficulties
The hosts, by contrast, were a chaotic as they suffered an 8th defeat in eleven matches to fall into the lower half of the league. Poor at dead-ball situations, repeatedly, impotent in the final third, consistently, with Isak replaced after sixty-eight anonymous minutes, and defensively weak, they struggled in every area to fall to a back-to-back three-nil reverse.
Opening pressure without payoff
For 30 minutes the Reds enjoyed the advantage, the occasional attack from Gibbs-White apart, but the failure to turn promise into the tangible reward of goals cost them dearly. Mac Allister was offered an early-on opening from Cody Gakpo's surge into the box only for Anderson to produce a brilliant desperate block with his head. The Liverpool midfielder had a another effort stopped soon after while impressive control from Salah created another near-post opportunity for Kerkez. A Forest defender just did enough to put off the full-back into blazing over.
Set-play frailty hits repeatedly
Liverpool's coach has frequently criticized Liverpool's weakness to fast breaks and dead balls now. This provided fresh cause for frustration when Forest scored first through a combination of the both aspects.
The Forest manager was shocked after Jesus failed to find the midfielder in an open area on the counter and presented the defender a chance to intercept. The ensuing set-piece caused celebratory moments in the away team's area, however, when the midfielder's delivery touched Virgil van Dijk to the goalscorer and the centre-half fired an unstoppable shot from close range into the back of the net. This evoked reminders of the captain's ruled out finish against Manchester City in the visitors' first goal with Dan Ndoye standing in an illegal position in front of the home side's returning goalkeeper the Brazilian.
VAR rulings and debate
Predictably, the Van Dijk was swift to highlight the comparisons to the match official, Madley. But unlike Andy Robertson at the Etihad Stadium, Ndoye made no obvious action in front of Alisson and the score stood. The league confirmed: "The on-field decision of goal was reviewed and confirmed by the video system – with it judged that he was outside of the line of vision of Alisson and avoided an interference that influenced an defender."
The Reds were saved by the match officials and video review a short time later when the striker believed he had doubled Forest's cushion.
Konaté, who experienced a poor afternoon, made an feeble effort to deal with an Ibrahim Sangaré's ball and deflected the sphere against the attacker, who controlled before slotting the bottom corner of Alisson's goal. Andrew Madley, in communication with his assistant, ruled out the strike for a handling that multiple footage were unable to prove or disprove. League officials stated: "The referee's call of invalid score was reviewed and upheld by VAR – with it deemed that Jesus inadvertently handled the object before scoring."
Follow-up strike widens cushion
That was the end of the respite. Moments of the kick-off Alexis Mac Allister did not cut out a pass towards Williams inside the home penalty area. The full-back spun away from his marker and laid Forest's second on a plate for partner full back the scorer, who picked out the goalkeeper's roof of the net with a calm accurate strike.
Managerial changes prove ineffective
Arne Slot made changes, replacing Ibrahima Konaté with Hugo Ekitiké after the 55th minute and partnering the Les Bleus striker with the Swede. This change lasted for only 13 minutes before Isak was withdrawn following one more ineffective performance. Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha were additionally thrown into the hosts' offense but inefficiency in possession and solid Forest defending kept the home side at bay.
Concluding blow seals the outcome
Forest showed the skill and penetration that the home team were without in the attacking phase to put the contest {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively
