Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool Review
A brilliant move by Arne Slot allowed Liverpool to equalize and secure a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, preventing the Tricky Trees from achieving their first league double over the Reds since the 1962/63 season. Forest faced significant early pressure but managed to break forward in the eighth minute, thrilling their enthusiastic home crowd as Anthony Elanga set up Chris Wood, who finished expertly with his weaker foot past Alisson Becker. Murillo nearly scored a stunning second just moments later, while Callum Hudson-Odoi’s deflected shot was easily collected by Alisson.
Liverpool regained possession for much of the game but found it difficult to penetrate a well-organized and resilient Forest team. Luis Díaz attempted a long-range shot that missed the target, while Neco Williams made an excellent stop to deny Dominik Szoboszlai’s header. Shortly after the half-hour mark, it seemed the hosts might be vulnerable to a counterattack, but Murillo effectively defended against Díaz, preventing his pass from reaching Cody Gakpo, which added to Slot and his team’s frustration.
After halftime, Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad continued to be tough opponents, with Murillo again stepping in to block Szoboszlai’s shot. It wasn’t until the 59th minute that Mohamed Salah managed to take his first shot, which went wide. At the other end, Alisson had to deflect a dangerous free-kick from Elanga. However, Slot’s substitutions in the 66th minute quickly paid off when Kostas Tsimikas’ corner was headed in by Diogo Jota, marking the first shot on target for his team. Matz Sels made two crucial saves to prevent Jota from scoring again, and Elliot Anderson blocked a shot from Salah.
Sels made impressive saves, first guiding Szoboszlai’s shot wide and then leaping to deflect Salah’s attempt over the bar, with Ola Aina blocking the Egyptian’s follow-up on the line. Sels’ outstanding performance, which included another remarkable save against Gakpo, helped Forest maintain an unbeaten streak of eight matches, placing them second in the Premier League table for the time being, while still trailing Liverpool by six points. The Reds, who remain unbeaten in the league since their encounter with Forest at Anfield in September and are currently at the top of the table, might be worried about having secured only one victory in their last four matches across all competitions.
