🔗 Share this article

Nottingham Forest's win here in the prior year seemed an anomaly in an typically commanding English top division home campaign for the hosts. Their repeat in the current campaign, a decisively stronger success under the Forest boss, was symptomatic of the issues afflicting the faltering title holders.

Nottingham Forest's superb showing

Nottingham Forest proved impressive as they achieved their biggest triumph at Anfield. Goals from Murillo, excellent at each end of the field, Nicolò Savona and the superb Morgan Gibbs-White spurred a well-earned win for a Forest side that also secured a first clean sheet in twenty top-flight matches.

The home side's difficulties

The Reds, by contrast, were a chaotic as they suffered an eighth loss in 11 matches to drop into the second tier of the table. Weak at set pieces, again, impotent in attack, again, with Isak replaced after sixty-eight anonymous period, and poor in defense, they faltered in all departments to yield to a consecutive three-nil defeat.

Opening control missing result

For half an hour the home side enjoyed the initiative, the sporadic attack from Gibbs-White apart, but the inability to convert chances into the tangible reward of finishes cost them dearly. Mac Allister was given an initial chance from Cody Gakpo's run into the area only for the Forest player to deliver a superb desperate block with his forehead. Mac Allister had a another effort deflected shortly after while dazzling footwork from Salah created another close-range opportunity for Kerkez. A Forest defender just did enough to pressure the full-back into blazing over.

Dead-ball frailty hits once more

The manager has often bemoaned the team's weakness to counterattacks and dead balls this season. He was given further evidence for complaint when the visitors scored first through a mix of the both aspects.

Dyche was surprised after Jesus failed to find Nicolás Domínguez in space on the counter and presented Konaté the opening to intervene. The following set-piece caused ecstatic reactions in the visitors' bench, though, when Anderson's cross touched the captain to Murillo and the central defender fired an unstoppable finish from inside the box into the opposite side. There were echoes of the defender's chalked-off strike against City in the away team's initial score with Dan Ndoye located in an offside in front of Liverpool's fit-again keeper Alisson.

The review system rulings and controversy

Predictably, the the skipper was prompt to highlight the similarities to the match official, Madley. However, unlike the full-back at the Manchester, Dan Ndoye made no obvious movement in front of the goalkeeper and the strike remained. The Premier League stated: "The initial ruling of valid strike was examined and confirmed by the video system – with it judged that he was away from the sightline of the keeper and made no an interference that affected an opponent."

Liverpool were let off by the referees and video review 120 seconds later when Jesus was convinced he had doubled Forest's advantage.

The defender, who endured a terrible match, made an unconvincing attempt to remove an the midfielder's delivery and turned the sphere against the Forest striker, who brought down before placing the lower corner of the goalkeeper's net. Madley, in communication with his assistant referee, chalked off the strike for a illegal use of hand that various footage struggled to prove or disprove. The Premier League said: "The ruling of invalid score was assessed and upheld by the video assistant – with it deemed that Igor Jesus accidentally handled the sphere before scoring."

Follow-up score increases cushion

That was the end of the reprieve. Almost immediately of the kick-off Mac Allister failed to cut out a delivery towards the defender inside the home box. The full-back evaded from his marker and set up their next goal on a silver platter for teammate full back Nicolò Savona, who found Alisson's roof of the net with a calm side-foot finish.

Tactical adjustments fail

The manager made changes, substituting Ibrahima Konaté with the forward after the 55th minute and partnering the Les Bleus forward alongside Isak. That experiment continued just less than a quarter-hour before Isak was substituted following another ineffective showing. the winger and Rio Ngumoha were further added to the Anfield's frontline but inefficiency in possession and resolute Forest defending kept the hosts at arm's length.

Late goal seals the result

Nottingham Forest demonstrated the skill and incisiveness that the hosts were missing in the attacking phase to decide the game {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively