Liverpool set up a mouthwatering FA Cup semi-final with Man City after battling their way to a 1-0 win away to Nottingham Forest in the quarter-final.
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
FA Cup Quarter-Final, City Ground
March 20, 2022
Goal: Jota 78′
Alisson (out of 10) – 7
Alisson was looking to continue his imperious recent form, following his potentially season-defining save against Arsenal in midweek.
The Brazilian was completely untroubled in the first half and barring one bad misplaced pass, it was similar in the second.
Forest appealed for a penalty after a possible foul by the goalkeeper, but the correct decision was made, as he did well to avoid colliding with the attacker.
Joe Gomez – 8 (Man of the Match)
Gomez came in for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, producing a man of the match performance in his less comfortable position.
Unsurprisingly, his quality on the ball wasn’t at the level of the man he replaced, but he still drove forward with purpose and played some nice passes.
He defended well, too, and it was precious minutes under his belt.
Still searching for his first-ever goal for the club – which he might have got with a volleyed chance in the first half.
Ibrahima Konate – 7
Konate has enjoyed an impressive first season at Liverpool and he again looked the part at the City Ground, looking a commanding figure.
Dominant in the air and calm in possession, the Frenchman threaded some neat passes into midfield and dealt with an energetic Forest attack.
Mistimed one stoppage-time jump that could have been fatal, but it was a rare bad moment on an impressive day for him.
Virgil van Dijk – 7
The Dutchman has been back to his very best in 2022 and he was again good on Sunday.
One superb piece of defending up against the dangerous Djed Spence summed up his brilliance and he was a spectator for large periods.
Lost one aerial duel that almost led to a goal for the hosts, but this was another imposing day at the office.
Kostas Tsimikas – 6
Tsimikas replaced Andy Robertson, but despite showing plenty of endeavour, he didn’t have the greatest of evenings.
The left-back twice fired over the bar and sent in several hopeful, aimless crosses, with his end product leaving plenty to be desired.
That being said, he delivered an inch-perfect cross to Diogo Jota, allowing to him clinch the win.
Fabinho – 7
Fabinho retained his place at the heart of the Reds’ midfield, knitting things together effectively in the middle of the park.
He bit into tackles, used the ball intelligently and generally did his job well, prior to his substitution.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5
Much of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Liverpool career would have to be described as hit-and-miss – in many ways, this performance summed up his time at Anfield.
There were some dynamic bursts into the right channel and an admirable work rate was on show, but his final ball was too often poor.
You wonder how many more starts he’s going to get for the club and he was clearly unhappy at being substituted.
Naby Keita – 7
Keita came back into midfield and the positives outweighed the negatives, on a good afternoon for the Guinean.
Off the ball, he was excellent, pressing relentlessly, and while he was generally reliable on it, he was guilty of losing it cheaply a few times.
Looked lacking physically on occasions, but he was a key cog in the machine.
Harvey Elliott – 6
Starting in Mohamed Salah‘s right-sided attacking role, Elliott really struggled to get going in a role he hasn’t played for Liverpool since February 2020.
Too often, the teenager was guilty of being too safe in possession rather than running at the defence and he was marked out of the game for chunks of the action.
Replaced in the second half.
Diogo Jota – 6
What a strange player Jota can be.
Since returning from injury, the Portuguese has been far too loose in his all-round game and that continued against Forest, as he produced a really below-par showing.
He either gave the ball away or angrily appealed for fouls throughout the first half, offering almost no attacking thrust and often too weak in duels.
Then he goes and shows his priceless goalscoring instinct yet again, though, poking home and sending Liverpool to Wembley.
Roberto Firmino – 7
After playing a starring role from the substitutes’ bench at Arsenal, Firmino led the line on Sunday, doing well overall.
Liverpool’s No.9 linked things together nicely for much of proceedings, and while he was guilty of missing a glaring one-on-one chance, he was his side’s most consistent attacking player.
Substitutes
Luis Diaz (on for Oxlade-Chamberlain, 64′) – 6
Didn’t manage to get into the game, but wasn’t through lack of trying.
Thiago (on for Fabinho, 64′) – 7
Oozed class and kept things ticking over in midfield.
Jordan Henderson (on for Keita, 64′) – 6
Brought plenty of energy – more solid than spectacular.
Takumi Minamino (on for Elliott, 64′) – 6
Not really effective, unsure if he was in midfield or attack. Peripheral.
Subs not used: Adrian, Matip, Beck, Jones, Origi
Jurgen Klopp – 8
Klopp rang the changes for the trip to Fores, as Liverpool faced their last game before the international break.
It was hard to have too many qualms with the manager’s team selection and he got a professional performance out of his team against in-form opponents.
It’s now time for a breather, before possibly one of the most memorable few months in Liverpool’s recent history!
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