Liverpool failed in their bid to be crowned Premier League champions on Tuesday night as they were held to a 1-1 draw by leaders Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The home side got off to a dream start and attempted to score an incredible double against Liverpool, with Chris Wood giving them the lead after just eight minutes. The 33-year-old fired a low shot past Alisson as Forest punished the visitors’ carelessness on the counter-attack.
Forest hadn’t conceded a single goal since mid-December, their defensive organization was so remarkable and they showed little sign of letting Liverpool back into the game. Their resolute defense was defiant in their individual battles and went into the half-time break without a single shot on goal.
Liverpool’s creative problems continued at the start of the second period, but the arrival of Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota in the 65th minute proved crucial. The left-back’s first touch of the game set up the Portuguese following a corner, and the striker’s header, which came just 22 seconds after coming on, equalized for Liverpool.
Jota almost gave Liverpool the lead ten minutes after his opener, but Matz Sels made a stunning save to deny him. The ball happened to fall to the attacker in the penalty area, but a long, close-range stop from the Belgian goalkeeper kept Liverpool out.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo forced Sels into smart saves in the final ten minutes as Liverpool looked for victory, with Ola Aina also clearing a late shot from the Egyptian off the line.
In the end, Forest’s defense just held on to secure a hard-fought point against the league leaders, with Liverpool dropping points for the second Premier League game in a row.
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: Matz Sels | 7.9/10 |
RB: Ola Aina | 7.1/10 |
CB: Nikola Milenkovic | 7.1/10 |
CB: Murillo | 8.1/10 |
LB: Neco Williams | 6.9/10 |
DM: Ryan Yates | 6.5/10 |
DM: Elliot Anderson | 7.9/10 |
RW: Anthony Elanga | 7.7/10 |
AM: Morgan Gibbs White | 6.5/10 |
LW: Callum Hudson Odoi | 7.2/10 |
ST: Chris Wood | 7.2/10 |
SUB: Nicolas Dominguez (77th for Yates) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Jota Silva (83′ for Hudson-Odoi) | N/A |
SUB: Alex Moreno (90th for Williams) | N/A |
SUB: Taiwo Awoniyi (90′ for wood) | N/A |
SUB: Morato (90′ for Gibbs-White) | N/A |
Substitutes not used: Carlos Miguel (TW), Willy Boly, James Ward-Prowse, Ramon Sosa.
*Reviews provided by FotMob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: Alisson | 6.5/10 |
RB: Trent Alexander Arnold | 6.7/10 |
CB: Ibrahima Konate | 6.5/10 |
CB: Virgil van Dijk | 7.5/10 |
LB: Andy Robertson | 6.4/10 |
DM: Ryan Gravenberch | 7.4/10 |
DM: Alexis Mac Allister | 7.4/10 |
RW: Mohamed Salah | 6.9/10 |
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai | 7.4/10 |
LW: Cody Gakpo | 7.2/10 |
ST: Luis Diaz | 6.7/10 |
SUB: Kostas Tsimikas (65th minute for Robertson) | 7.0/10 |
SUB: Diogo Jota (65′ for Van Dijk) | 7.7/10 |
SUB: Curtis Jones (75th for Diaz) | 6.3/10 |
Substitutes not used: Caoimhin Kelleher (TW), Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa.