🔗 Share this article

The away side's success on Merseyside in the prior year was a blip in an usually strong top-flight home campaign for Liverpool. Their repeat in the current campaign, a decisively stronger victory under Sean Dyche, was symptomatic of the issues engulfing the faltering champions.

Nottingham Forest's superb display

Forest were exemplary as they recorded their most significant triumph at Anfield. Goals from the defender, outstanding at either side of the field, Nicolò Savona and the magnificent Morgan Gibbs-White inspired a merited success for a squad that also secured a first clean sheet in twenty top-flight matches.

The home side's difficulties

Liverpool, in comparison, were a mess as they endured an eighth defeat in eleven games to fall into the lower half of the standings. Weak at dead-ball situations, once more, unproductive in attack, as before, with Isak replaced after 68 uninfluential moments, and vulnerable at the back, they faltered in all departments to succumb to a back-to-back 3-0 loss.

Opening pressure missing payoff

For half an hour Liverpool maintained the advantage, the occasional break from the Forest attacker aside, but the inability to convert chances into the hard currency of goals cost them dearly. Mac Allister was given an early-on opening from the forward's run into the box only for Elliot Anderson to produce a superb desperate block with his head. He had a another effort deflected shortly after while skilful control from the winger created another short-distance chance for Kerkez. An opposition player just did enough to put off the defender into firing over.

Dead-ball vulnerability hits again

Liverpool's coach has frequently criticized his side's susceptibility to transitions and set pieces in the current campaign. This provided fresh cause for concern when the visitors opened the scoring through a blend of the two.

The Forest manager was surprised after Jesus was unable to release the midfielder in room on the break and allowed Konaté the opening to intercept. The following set-piece caused ecstatic reactions in the visitors' bench, nevertheless, when Anderson's delivery glanced off Virgil van Dijk to Murillo and the centre-half hammered an irresistible shot from inside the box into the opposite side. It brought reminders of the captain's disallowed finish against City in the visitors' first goal with Ndoye positioned in an offside in front of Anfield's returning keeper Alisson.

VAR rulings and controversy

As expected, the the skipper was quick to highlight the parallels to the referee, Andrew Madley. However, unlike the full-back at the Etihad Stadium, Ndoye made no clear gesture in front of the goalkeeper and the goal was given. The league confirmed: "The referee's call of goal was reviewed and confirmed by VAR – with it considered that the player was outside of the sightline of the keeper and did not make an action that impacted an opponent."

The Reds were saved by the referees and the system a short time later when Jesus thought he had doubled Nottingham Forest's lead.

Ibrahima Konaté, who endured a poor afternoon, made an weak attempt to clear an the midfielder's ball and deflected the object against the attacker, who handled before placing the lower corner of the keeper's goal. Madley, in discussion with his assistant referee, disallowed the effort for a handball that multiple reviews found it hard to prove or refute. League officials stated: "The referee's call of disallowed strike was reviewed and upheld by the video assistant – with it considered that the player inadvertently handled the ball before finishing."

Follow-up strike increases advantage

So much for the let-off. Almost immediately of the resumption the midfielder did not cut out a ball towards Williams inside the Liverpool 18-yard box. Williams spun away from his opponent and laid Forest's second on a platter for teammate wing-back Savona, who located Alisson's top corner with a simple placed shot.

Strategic adjustments fail

Liverpool's coach went for broke, replacing the defender with Hugo Ekitiké after just before the hour and pairing the Les Bleus forward with the Swede. That experiment persisted for only a short period before Alexander Isak was withdrawn following one more quiet performance. the winger and the youngster were also introduced to the Anfield's frontline but sloppiness in play and solid opposition backline kept the home side at bay.

Concluding strike confirms the outcome

Forest demonstrated the finesse and cutting edge that the hosts were missing in the opposition half to seal the match {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively