14 September 2024
Liverpool 0 Nott’m Forest 1
Heading into the international break, all the talk was about ‘Slot-ball’. His side had made the perfect start to their campaign with three wins and not a single goal conceded. With Nottingham Forest the visitors to Anfield, nobody gave Nuno Espirito Santo’s side a chance of getting a positive result.
Coming into this game unbeaten also, the visitors had an obvious tactic from the outset. Whenever Liverpool were in possession of the ball, they got everyone back to drop deep and invite the hosts to try and break them down. This was going to ask some different questions of The Reds.
It almost started so well as a stray pass was collected by Yates with no pressure on him whatsoever. As he dallied on the ball, Diaz picked his pocket and cut into the box before trying to beat Sels at his near post. The ball thundered off the base of the woodwork and back into play. So close for Slot’s side.
The hosts continued to press and Mac Allister played a brilliant cross into the box with the outside of his right foot. He picked out Jota in the box but he couldn’t adjust his body quick enough and his tame effort from three yards out was easily saved by the Forest keeper.
Liverpool almost got lucky as Gravenberch drifted a cross into the back post. Diaz’s header was more aerial than it was dangerous but somehow Sels dropped the effort above his head and it almost went through his legs into the back of the net. Fortunately for the visitors he managed to claw it out before it crossed the line.
Forest were camped out in their own half for the majority of the game before the interval. To be fair, Alisson could have been back in Brazil and The Reds would not have missed him. The visitors failed to have a single shot, on or off target, before the referee brought the forty-minutes to a close.
Arne Slot would have no doubt told his players to remain patient and keep doing what they had in the first-half and the goals will come. There was no concerns in Anfield that it just seemed a matter of time before Liverpool opened the scoring in this game.
They had yet to concede a single goal since the Dutchman took over from Jurgen Klopp. The attacking threat was still there, as ever, but Forest were managing to hold on by the finest of margins. With plenty of firepower on the bench, you wondered how long it would be before we saw some changes.
The second-half started in the same vein with the hosts pushing forward. Salah twisted and turned inside the box before giving himself a yard of space to get a shot away. His right-footed effort was never going to beat Sels at his near post as he palmed it away for a corner.
Liverpool were passing the ball around with no pressure on them at all. Despite this it seemed as though these moves were creating nothing. As a loose pass was intercepted by the Forest midfield, they had the chance to counter, an opportunity that had been rare in this game.
A series of passes saw Hudson-Odoi skip past Bradley and sprint down the left wing. He played it into Wood on the edge of the box who held it up well before laying it off to Gibbs-White. His pass picked out Elanga in the box but the former Man Utd winger blazed his shot over the crossbar.
The problem for the hosts was that their passing game was lacking once they got into the final third. All too often a loose pass, when it mattered most, saw them gift possession back to the visitors. The fans were starting to get edgy, wondering if they would find the breakthrough that they craved.
Alexander-Arnold had switched into a central midfield role and it was his shot from the edge of the box that deflected wide for a corner. The home faithful raised the noise decibels as they tried to spur their team into something meaningful in front of goal.
As the cross came in, it was headed towards goal, only to see Aina clear the ball off the line. It was the closest Slot’s side had come to a goal since Diaz struck the foot of the post in the opening exchanges of the game. They looked a different team to the one that dismantled Man Utd.
Then The Reds paid the ultimate price. Elanga picked up the ball in his own half and broke down the right flank. He spotted Hudson-Odoi in acres of space and switched play. The former Chelsea winger dropped his shoulder and cut inside Bradley, as Konate stood off him, he bent his shot into the far corner.
While there is no doubting the quality of Alisson as a keeper, there is nothing worse than seeing someone watch the ball into the net. It must have infuriated the fans. For the money they are paid, you should be throwing yourself at these shots, even if you get nowhere near it.
Slot made a number of changes, trying to chase the game. Despite this, Liverpool showed all the attacking threat of a care bear as the fans grew ever more frustrated. A long ball forward from Sels was flicked on into the path of Elanga. His volley was too close to Alisson, who beat the ball away.
The closest the hosts came to an equaliser was when a Bradley cross was half-cleared. It dropped to Szoboszlai but as he checked onto his right foot, his shot was well blocked by Murillo, at the expense of a corner. As yet another cross came in, van Dijk headed the ball harmlessly over the bar.
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