Liverpool lost 1-0 to Nott. Forest at home – Match Report

Liverpool lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest at home in the Premier League encounter on Saturday.

Former Reds striker Taiwo Awoniyi scored the only goal of the game in the 55th minute to secure the home side’s victory at the City Ground. 

Jürgen Klopp’s charges created a number of chances during the afternoon, but in the end it was Forest who scored in their first meeting since 1999. 

Klopp made five changes to the line-up, with James Milner and Andy Robertson starting in defence and Harvey Elliott, Fabinho and Curtis Jones in midfield. 

Darwin Nunez and Thiago Alcantara were unavailable. 

Manager Steve Cooper made two changes to the team that drew 0-0 at Brighton midweek. Cheikhou Kouyate replaced Orel Mangala in midfield and Brennan Johnson made way for Taiwo Awoniyi in attack.

After nine minutes, the visitors had the first chance of the match. 

Elliott’s perfect cross was brilliantly cleared by Fabio Carvalho and his second touch forced Dean Henderson into an intervention. 

Liverpool’s best chance in the first half was missed by Virgil van Dijk, who was left unprotected but headed wide after a dangerous pass from six yards.

With just over 10 minutes to go, Kouyate found Yates in the box, but the midfielder was held off by another clever save from Alisson as the Reds looked to score a second goal.

Roberto Firmino headed just wide of Milner’s goal after the second of two subsequent corners. 

Forest then tested Alisson Becker for the first time when Cheikou Kouyate’s shot in front of goal from close range was teed up in the Liverpool keeper’s net. 

The Reds created three half chances midway through the first half but Mohamed Salah (twice) and Carvalho gave Henderson and Forest’s goal no problems. 

The home side looked to have been punished for a deflection just after the half-hour mark when Awoniyi slipped a pass to Jesse Lingard, whose drilled shot was easily saved by Alisson. 

Klopp’s charges had another big chance just before half-time. 

Milner’s cross from the right after a corner found a free Virgil van Dijk at the far post. The back four then tried unsuccessfully to cut in front of Firmino’s goal instead of going for goal themselves. 

Liverpool created a chance from a free direct kick early in the second half, but it ended with Carvalho’s curling effort. 

The opening goal, however, came from a free direct kick at the other end. 

A Steve Cook cross was then drilled into the box by Steve Cook where Awoniyi shot first time on goal but hit the bar before reacting quickest to the rebound. 

The Reds responded almost immediately but Elliott’s powerful shot after Milner’s pass was saved by the Forest keeper. 

A dedicated defensive save from Milner secured a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute when the number 7 player pulled off an effortless save from Morgan Gibbs-White on a counter attack. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold was involved, as was Jordan Henderson, and at the first corner a 66 Firmino header bounced into the ground and then just over the crossbar. 

For a long time in the final 20 minutes, it looked like it was against the rules, and after a quick cross by the home side, Brennan Johnson moved towards goal, which Alisson picked out. 

Dean Henderson denied Liverpool an equaliser with five minutes remaining when he pushed out Alexander-Arnold’s powerful header from Robertson’s cross. 

Meanwhile, Alisson was called into action again and created enough chances to keep out Ryan Yates from a corner. 

Both teams had chances as the 90th minute approached, with Yates again fending off Alisson well from 15 yards and Henderson saving an Alexander-Arnold header from close range.

Liverpool’s best chance came in the second minute, five minutes into extra time, when van Dijk latched onto a ball in the box, but Henderson kept it clean by ducking to his left and making a superb save.

As the game reached extra time, Dean Henderson made two important saves to keep the scores level. First he managed to save Van Dijk’s header from a corner kick and then he thwarted Salah’s long range effort, frustrating the Reds even further.

The final whistle gave Forest its second home win of the campaign, and Awoniyi’s third goal was enough to secure the three points against his former employers.

Full time: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool

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