Liverpool (H) 02/03/24

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool

                                                        Nunez 90+9'

 

Referees were once again the talking point of Forest fixtures after a controversial drop ball decision. A red card, fans on the pitch and a raging owner, will show the Reds they need this sort of passion in their remaining 11 games to avoid the drop.

 

Top of the league Liverpool travelled to the City Ground to snatch a 0-1 victory in their latest ever Premier League winner. In their last 6 visits to Nottingham, Liverpool had not won after 3 draws and 3 losses. Their last victory at the City Ground in a top division game came 40 years ago in 1984. Both sides were in need of a win; Liverpool needed to extend their lead at the top of the league and Forest needed to gain more of a gap on the bottom 3 after Everton saw their points deduction reduced from 10 to 6. Back in October, Forest travelled to Anfield  where they lost 3-0. Goals from Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah sealed all 3 points. They will be looking to complete their first league double over Forest since 1984/85. However, all Red’s fans will remember their 1-0 win in October 2022 where Taiwo Awoniyi scored a 55^th minute goal to send them partying in the sun.

 

On a injury basis, Liverpool were without many of their key stars including Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Their number 1 keeper, Alisson Becker, also has a serious injury giving a chance to Caoimhin Kelleher. Darwin Nunez and Dominic Szoboszlai were named as substitutes after they returned from their spells out. As for Forest, Nuno Tavares and Chris Wood remain sidelined. Ibrahim Sangre made the bench after retuning from AFCON but Ola Aina and Willy Boly still have their injuries they picked up during the competition. Former Liverpool player Divock Origi was chosen to lead the line for Forest over Awoniyi and Liverpool named 4 teenagers in their matchday squad.

 

The game got off to a slow start with the first real chance coming after 15 minutes. Nicolas Dominguez played the ball to Divock Origi who wriggled away from challenges by Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez before cutting inside. He took his shot from just outside the D, firing towards the bottom right but it went just wide. Liverpool had an opportunity of their own just 2 minutes later after Robertson broke down the left before pulling the ball back to Luis Diaz on the edge of the box. He shot across goal but Andrew Omobamidele stook a leg out and it deflected just wide.

 

Forest had another brilliant chance to take the lead. Callum Hudson-Odoi managed to smother away a Liverpool attack and played the ball to Origi on the counter attack. He played a through ball to Anthony Elanga after he sprinted away from Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahim Konate. Kelleher rushed out and made himself big and Elanga’s low shot could only hit the ‘keeper’s leg.  It was unsure whether VAR would’ve disallowed the goal for offside had the ball hit the back of the net.

 

Liverpool ended the half the better side after growing into the game and having the majority of possession. They had the only 2 real chances left of the half too. The first was from youngster Bobby Clark after he cut inside from the left. Space opened up for him and he looked to curl the ball into the top right corner but his shot was just too high. The second came after Connor Bradley played a one-two with Elliott down Liverpool’s right before the right back pulled the ball into the box but it was just behind Diaz. Clark was the quickest to react but his shot hit Omobamidele, which unluckily fell straight to Diaz from 6 yards out. He looked set for a tap-in but Murillo threw himself infront of the shot to send it behind.

 

Halftime, 0-0.

 

The second half started the same as the first half did: quite evenly matched from both teams. However, Liverpool had the best chance to start the half. They moved the ball forward very nicely through the team before they found Bradley on the overlap down the right. He fizzed a low ball across the box which Diaz couldn’t make the contact on but fortunately for the visitors, Robertson made a late run towards the back post. He looked to find the back of the net but Omobamidele got a vital touch on the line to send it wide.

 

Darwin Nunez was subbed on in the 60^th minute to a chant of ‘you’re just a s*** Andy Carroll' which Forest fans may later regret. He had an immediate impact after Liverpool broke forward and he was threaded through down the left from Diaz to only fire into the side netting from a tight angle. Forest went down the other end after breaking quickly on the counter attack. Hudson-Odoi slid a ball through into the box for Awoniyi who had Van Dijk marking him closely so he played it back to Toffolo. His cross fell for an unmarked Elanga who could only fire his first time shot just wide of the far post.

 

Good chances continued to fall for both sides as the 90 minutes ticked down. Cody Gakpo received the ball from Nunez after he caught Neco Williams on the ball. Nunez looked to gain the ball back by continuing his run but Gakpo went alone, firing into the side netting. Diaz looked to break the deadlock too. He played a one-two with Alexis Mac Allister on the edge of the box before the Columbian whipped a shot at goal but it went just wide. Forest, too, had a chance on goal after Danilo picked out Hudson-Odoi’s run into the box but he could only scuff a shot and it ended up being a simple save for Kelleher.

 

We entered 8 minutes of injury time after Matz Sels was crashed into by Jayden Danns and he received some treatment with the youngster picking up a yellow card. Liverpool continued to put Forest’s defence under pressure. Diaz fizzed a low cross into the 6 yard box but Nunez couldn’t reach it on the stretch as he slid in. The visitors then won a corner which Kostas Tsimikas whipped in but it was just too high for Nunez and hit Murillo. The defender had no idea the ball came off the back off his head but  his ‘keeper, Sels, came to his rescue after pulling off a brilliant reaction save before gathering the ball.

 

Forest looked to snatch a late winner after Callum Hudson-Odoi broke away from a challenge from Gomez before crossing the ball to an unmarked Morgan Gibbs-Wite. He looked for a shot but Van Dijk got in the way to send it out for  corner. Now, here is where the controversy comes. Forest took the corner and Kelleher and Konate collided before the defender went down holding his head. The ball came to Hudson-Odoi on the edge of the box but the referee then stopped for a head injury. Konate then got up and the referee gave a drop ball to Kelleher when it should’ve been to Forest. The Reds also could’ve had a penalty after Omobamidele was tripped but after a quick VAR check, all shouts were waved away.

 

After Liverpool received the ball back, they went up the other end and won a corner. This fell to Tsimikas who volleyed a shot on goal but Gibbs-White got in the way and blocked it. The ball fell to Hudson-Odoi who looked to break away but a challenge came in so Awoniyi recovered. Neither of them could clear their lines so Mac Allister knicked the ball before delivering a perfect cross for Nunez to head home after he rose higher than Williams. Sels could only stay routed and the away end completely erupted. However, the home side felt completely robbed. All fans stood up in anger and one even ended up on the pitch to tell the referee what he thought. The final whistle then blew and in the aftermath, Felipe got himself a yellow card and Forest coach, Steven Reid, found himself with a red card. Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, also ended up on the pitch raging.

 

From my point of view, the referee, Paul Tierney, got it completely wrong. We played so well all game especially our defence and Sels who really deserved a clean sheet with Neco Williams being my personal man of the match. Everything Liverpool threw at us we managed to clear and it was like all our hard work for 98 minutes was just undone. We should’ve had the ball back and who knows we could’ve won another corner and killed the game off to gain an earned point to survival. I’ve never seen the City Ground so angry and it’s another time this season a referee decision has effected the game. However, we had the better chances to take the lead and we should’ve taken advantage of at least one. We also should’ve cleared the ball at the end instead of messing with it on the edge of the box. Let’s not let this game get us too down as we need to focus on making these last 11 games really count.

 

 

 

           

Forest: Sels; Williams, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo; Dominguez (Danilo 79') ,Yates; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Origi (Awoniyi 65')

 

Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley (Tsimikas 84'), Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson (Nunez 60'); Mac Allister, Gomez, Clark (Endo 60'); Elliott (Szoboszlai 76'), Gakpo (Danns 84'), Diaz