A crazy second half saw Liverpool eventually get three points, Diogo Jota‘s double and Mo Salah‘s goal being enough despite some poor defending.
Liverpool 3-2 Nottingham Forest
Premier League (31), Anfield
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Goals
Jota 47′ (assist: Fabinho)
Williams 51′
Jota 55′ (assist: Robertson)
Gibbs-White 67′
Salah 70′ (assist: Alexander-Arnold)
Jurgen Klopp named an unchanged side for the third game running, the first time he’d done so since January 2020.
It meant a fifth consecutive start for Diogo Jones and a fourth for Curtis Jones. Thiago, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were again left on the bench.
Liverpool saw plenty of the ball early on but Forest’s deep defence meant it was a struggle to break down the opposition from open play.
The three best chances of the opening half an hour all arrived from set pieces. Konate headed wide from Robertson’s free-kick, Van Dijk’s header from Trent’s free-kick was tipped over, then Gakpo’s attempt from a corner was cleared on the line.
The best chance arrived for Jota, again from a free-kick, but the Portuguese headed wide from three yards out.
Half time: Liverpool 0-0 Forest
It was no surprise, then, when the breakthrough arrived from another set piece, just two minutes into the second half.
Trent’s corner was eventually headed back across goal smartly by Fabinho and Jota headed in from close range for his third goal of the week after a year-long drought – insert your own joke about buses here!
The lead didn’t last long, though, less than four minutes before Neco Williams‘ shot deflected off Robertson and into the top corner somehow. Quite how the former Liverpool player had that much space on the Reds’ left is worrying.
But four minutes after that and it was lead restored – again through Jota! Robertson’s free-kick found the No.20 completely unmarked and Jota superbly controlled and finished in front of the Kop.
Three goals in eight minutes.
Klopp replaced Fabinho and Gakpo with Thiago and Nunez on the hour, now having a strong, fully-fit squad to choose from.
Jota almost got his hat-trick when Trent’s superb pass from deep saw him run onto it and his header forced a save from Navas.
Instead, it was Forest who equalised. Liverpool failed to clear a long throw and somehow Morgan Gibbs-White was completely unmarked 12 yards out on the penalty spot. Shocking defending.
Yet again, though, Liverpool restored their lead within three minutes – and again it was from a set piece. Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick was steered home well by Salah despite being under pressure.
Some of Liverpool’s defending was pretty shocking and Forest almost equalised again when Brennan Johnson hit the bar.
Nunez had a chance to put the game to bed but couldn’t put his header on target from four yards out.
The relegation-threatened visitors continued to cause problems from long throws and Liverpool often created problems of their own at the back, but managed to hold on.
The win means Liverpool are six points off fourth place, with seven games left to play.
TIA Man of the Match: Diogo Jota
Referee: Michael Oliver
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho (Thiago 60′), Henderson, Jones (Milner 81′); Salah, Jota (Diaz 81′), Gakpo (Nunez 60′)
Subs not used: Kelleher, Matip, Gomez, Tsimikas, Elliott
Forest: Navas; Felipe, McKenna, Niakhate; Williams, Danilo, Mangala, Freuler, Lodi; Gibbs-White; Awoniyi
Subs: Hennessey, Worrall, Toffolo, Hammond, Lingard, Ayew, Surridge, Johnson, Dennis
Next Match: West Ham (away, Wednesday 23 April)
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