Forest's Night at Anfield: Liverpool Crashes 0-3 in a Shock Twist

Match Report

Liverpool couldn't return to winning ways, losing 0-3 at Anfield to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening, in the 12th round of the Premier League.

Forest's three goals came from Morillo, Nicolò Savona, and Morgan Gibbs-White in the 33rd, 46th, and 78th minutes, respectively.

With the result, Liverpool sit on 18 points in 11th place, while Forest climb to 16th with 12 points.

For Liverpool, the lineup featured Alisson Becker; Souboslai, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kirkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah, Izak and Cody Gakpo.

Nottingham Forest coach Arne Slot deployed Mats Sels in goal; Savona, Milenkovic, Morillo, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ndidi, Dominguez and Jesús started for the visitors.

The visitors' first threat came from a long-range effort by Dominguez that deflected off the defense and over the bar.

Liverpool soon asserted control, with Mac Allister almost breaking the deadlock in the 10th minute from inside the box, but a defender cleared off the line.

Jones also forced a save from Sels from outside the area, but the ball narrowly missed the post.

Souboslai's left-footed attempt from outside the box deflected off a defender and narrowly missed the far corner, earning a corner.

Forest took the lead via Morillo, who met a corner inside the box and finished with his left foot.

Seconds later, Jesus doubled Forest's lead when he controlled a ball in the area and finished with his right foot; VAR flagged a handball before the goal, so it was ruled out.

Moments later, Forest thought they had a third, but the goal was nullified following a handball decision after a review by the video assistant referee.

Forest's goalkeeper Mats Sels then made a crucial save to deny a Liverpool teammate's effort as the hosts pressed, and the first half ended with Forest leading 1-0.

Start of the second half saw Forest extend their lead with Savona finishing a low cross at the near post in the opening seconds after the restart.

Nine minutes later, Slot signaled a change, bringing on Hugo Iketike for Konaté, hoping to add depth in attack.

Salah tried to capitalize on a ball into the box, but his attempt was blocked and drifted wide.

Forest continued to press, with Anderson testing Sels from outside the area, but the Forest keeper remained alert.

In the 68th minute, Slot again reshuffled, introducing Kiiesa and Robertson for Izak and Kirkez, in a bid to rejuvenate the side.

Souboslai fired another long-range effort, but Sels gathered comfortably in the end.

Gibbs-White then wrapped up the result late on, steering home a rebound after a save by Alisson, slamming the ball into the bottom corner to complete the 3-0 scoreline.

With the third going in, the atmosphere among Liverpool’s players suggested resignation, though a few late chances did not test Sels adequately.

In stoppage time, Kiieza received a pass from Salah inside the box and unleashed a shot that Morillo blocked on the line, denying a consolation for the home side just before the final whistle.

Statistics from the match

Skewed by the scoreline, the data show Liverpool’s second home defeat by a margin of three goals or more in the last decade, a rare occurrence in the modern era.

The first such loss was a 1-4 defeat to Manchester City in 2021, according to Skaqa.

Opta data add that this is the first time Liverpool have conceded three at home in the Premier League without scoring since August 2015, and the second time in a row to lose by three goals or more in the league, the first time since April 1965 under Bill Shankly.

Context & Aftermath

The result shakes up the early-mid table in the Premier League, underscoring Forest's improvement and the struggles at Anfield this season.

Liverpool’s ongoing need to find goals and cohesion remains a talking point, with the team currently hovering outside the traditional European places and in need of a spark heading into the busy fixture schedule.

Forest, meanwhile, take momentum and points to their next fixtures, proving they can compete on the road and at home when their defense holds and they hit fast on the counter.

Final thoughts: it was a night when Forest executed their plan to perfection and Liverpool paid the price for moments of hesitancy in both defense and attack.

Punchline 1: If defending was an art, Forest just painted a three-portrait in one night—framed and hung in Anfield for posterity.

Punchline 2: Liverpool learned tonight that if you’re going to chase the game, you’d better bring a goal avalanche—tonight, Forest brought the snow.