Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

Liverpool slump to defeat against Nottingham Forest.

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Nottingham Forest 1 - 0 Liverpool

Nottingham Forest: Awoniyi 58’
Liverpool:

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Pre-Match

It’s James Milner to the rescue again as he is tasked to play at right-back for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Curtis Jones makes his first start of the season. It’s a welcome sight after the player has been dogged by so much injury.

First Half

Tired legs and sloppy passes categorized both teams in the opening 15 minutes of this match. Neither team was punished for it, which, on the whole, probably benefits Liverpool more. The defensive line of Robertson - Van Dijk - Gomez - Milner was shaky.

Forest had the better chances, but all of their shots thankfully ended up scuffed and straight at Alisson for easy pick-up.

Forest seemed more up for this occasion. Their fans were buoyant and loud, and the players were energetic as they ran around disrupting the Reds, who had far more of the ball. They were also not shy about targeting Liverpool’s right side, hoping to take advantage of the unfamiliar Milner-Gomez partnership.

Thankfully for Liverpool, it was their final touch that let them down. Both teams headed into halftime without a goal. Here’s hoping the Liverpool players splash some water on their faces and come out in the second half looking ready to fight.

Second Half

The second half started slightly better than the first one ended. The Reds got a decent chance through a cross from Milner. Carvalho connected with it, but his header didn’t trouble the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper.

Gomez was lucky not to get a straight red as he impeded a Forest player on the break. The resulting free kick lead to Nottingham Forest scoring the first goal of the game through former Red Taiwo Awoniyi slotting in a rebound off the post.

61 minutes in, and Milner and Carvalho made way for Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The fresh legs were much appreciated while Liverpool looked to grab an equalizer in the next 30 minutes.

Forest bombed forward in a swift counterattack, but Alisson came up with a great close range save on Johnson’s resulting shot.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaced Firmino 76 minutes on. It’s another happy return for a player who hadn’t played since March, coincidentally also against Forest. However, it’s less than ideal that he’s the player Klopp has to deploy to try and dig us out of this hole in the next 15 minutes.

Liverpool looked depressingly unlikely to score as the game ticked on. It was one of those matches when our goalkeeper was the best player. Not because the other team was so good, but because Liverpool were so bad.

Dean Henderson denied van Dijk in the extra time. The defender was unmarked, but somehow his header ended up right in the hands of the keeper. It was that kind of a day.

Final Thoughts

Liverpool end up on the wrong end of 1-0 after coming out victors by the same result in their last two league games. This was a hard one to watch and definitely not worth waking up early for.