Nuno Espirito Santo: "I'm very proud of the team"
“It was a good game, very entertaining,” says Forest’s manager in a post-match chat with TNT Sports. “In the first half we were organised and didn’t allow too many situations and the second half was like a ping-pong game and that’s when Liverpool really become stronger and more dangerous, running into spaces. I’m very proud of the team, the way they worked, the way they run, especially the up-and-down, the sprints, recovery, sprints, recovery … it was good.”
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Matz Sels: “It was amazing with all the supporters behind us,” says Forest’s goalkeeper in an interview with the BBC. “One point is a good result in the end for us. Of course, we wanted to win, but I think a point is a good result against them.
“Second half there was a lot more space between the lines and Liverpool had a few big chances. If you are realistic, you have to say a point is a good result for us.
“I am there for it, to help the team in the difficult moments. The second half, in the last 20-25 minutes they had a lot of big chances. Everybody fought for it, until the last second. I am really happy for the team and also that we didn’t lose because that gives us confidence for the next game.”
Arne Slot: "I couldn't have asked for more"
“You need to be a little bit lucky with that because we took Ibra[hima Konate] out, who is normally a big threat in set-pieces,” says the Liverpool manager when asked about his inspired double-substitution by TNT Sports reporter Emma Dodds.
“We all know Jots can score a goal, Kostas has a good set-piece so we brought them in to score a goal during the game or near the end of the game but they immediately did it after 22 seconds.”
On Forest’s defence: “Their goalkeeper had to make a few incredible save but also their defenders prevented some shots on target because they blocked almost every shot. I couldn’t have asked for more because in the second half it was outstanding. There are not many teams who can create so many chances against a team that’s defensively so strong. Unfortunately we couldn’t score the second.”
Tonight’s Premier League results
West Ham 3-2 Fulham
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool
Chris Wood: “I think in the manner of how it’s worked out it feels more like … I won’t say a defeat but a bit more of a frustration and disappointment, especially in the way we conceded,” says Forest’s goalscorer in an interview with TNT Sports.
“We’re normally a lot better than that at set plays and the way we conceded leaves a sour taste in the mouth. They’re a good side and they’ve shown that all season. We had to stand up and be counted, and this shows we’ve come a long way but we still have a long way to go to keep competing and winning these games.”
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Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool
Premier League: “Just when it seemed nothing was dropping for Liverpool in a captivating contest, Arne Slot turned to his substitutes’ bench midway through the second half and exhibited his seemingly golden touch,” writes Ben Fisher from the City Ground.
Diogo Jota: Having scored his seventh goal against Nottingham Forest tonight, Liverpool’s super-sub is asked what it is about playing them he enjoys so much. “I think it’s just a coincidence,” he tells TNT Sports.
“Obviously I love to score goals and I scored with my first touch today, so that gave the team a bit of momentum. I had two more chances and could have given us the three points but unfortunately I couldn’t.”
Full time: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool
A terrific and often wonderfully chaotic game of football ends all square, after Liverpool cancelled out Chris Wood’s excellent opener with a goal from Diogo Jota, who along with assist-provider Kostas Tsimikas, had only been on the pitch for 22 seconds before restoring parity for the visitors.
90+7 min: It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable game and a draw seems about fair, even if Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels had a far busier time of it in the second half than the first, making four excellent saves. And that’s how it finishes, as referee Chris Kavanagh signals the end of the game.
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90+6 min: Anthony Elanga breaks forward on a Forest counter-attack but is relieved of possession by Trent Alexander-Arnold halfway inside the Liverpool half.
90+4 min: Liverpool win a free-kick about 30 yards from the Forest goal, well left of centre. Tsimikas places the ball and crosses to the far post, but Murillo heads clear. Again. The Brazilian is a rock in the heart of that Forest defence.
90+2 min: Matz Sels gets down to get a strong hand behind a shot from Cody Gakpo that came through a thicket of legs and took a deflection on its way. That’s an outstanding save.
90 min: Forest triple substitution: Morato, Alex Moreno and Taiwo Awoniyi on for Wood, Gibbs-White and Williams. We’ll have seven minutes of added time.
88 min: Matz Sels rides to the rescue again, foiling Mo Salah as the Liverpool talisman tried to place a shot from inside the penalty area into the top corner. From the ensuing corner, Ola Aina is standing at the post and blocks a powerful goalbound Salah drive.
87 min: Nottingham Forest substitution from a few minutes ago that I haven’t got around to telling you about previously: Jota Silva on for Callum Hudson-Odoi.
85 min: Now Forest drive forward and Anthony Elanga squares the ball across the edge of the Liverpool six-yard box from the right. There’s nobody there in a Forest shirt to slot it home and Tsimikas clears for Liverpool. This is such an entertaining game.
84 min: Mo Salah runs on to a long ball over the top from Trent Alexander-Arnold but takes a heavy first touch. Matz Sels is lightning fast off his line to pounce on the ball.
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83 min: Szoboszlai tees up Mo Salah for a curler inside the far post but the Egyptian sends his effort ridiculously high and wide. Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were waiting at the far post for a tap-in if he’d crossed. But he was never going to cross, was he?
81 min: Liverpool have a penalty appeal for a slightly questionable Eliot Anderson challenge on Mo Salah turned down before Dominik Szoboszlai sends a low drive from distance whistling narrowly wide of the right post.
79 min: Forest break upfield with Elanga taking on a backpedalling Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s sole remaining centre-half. The Dutchman shepherds Elanga away from goal and calmly relieves him of possession.
77 min: Matz Sels saves brilliantly from Diogo Jota, with a little help from Ola Aina. From seven yards, the Liverpool substitute kicked an Alexander-Arnold cross that broke his way into the ground and it was saved by Sels, who parried it onto the unwitting Aina and away.
76 min: Forest substitution: Nicolas Dominguez on for Ryan Yates.
75 min: Ryan Yates wellies the ball clear from the edge of his own penalty area, putting a stop to Diogo Jota’s ferreting run in the process.
74 min: Liverpool substitution: Curtis Jones comes on for Luis Diaz, who has had a quiet night.
73 min: Elliot Anderson tries to play a low defence-splitting pass into the Liverpool area trying to pick out Gibbs-White or Elanga, but neither of his teammates were on the same wavelength and his pass was overhit.
70 min: Jota goes close to scoring a second for Liverpool, only to be denied by a good Matz Sels save.
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68 min: Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson were the men who made way in what is arguably the most instantly impactful double-substitution in the history of football. Jota and Tsimikas were on the pitch mere seconds before combining to equalise for Liverpool.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool (Jota 66)
Liverpool equalise! Just on the pitch as substitutes, Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota combine to equalise for Liverpool. Tsimikas sent in the corner from the right and Jota, arguably the smallest man on the pitch, rose between Murillo and Wood to head home with his first touch of the ball from about five yards out.
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65 min: Elanga whips a free-kick everyone was expecting him to cross towards the near post. Alisson punches it clear.
61 min: Elliot Anderson goes to ground after getting accidentally caught in the face by Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was trying to punch the ball back in the direction of the site of a free-kick that had just been awarded against Alexis Mac Allister.
It was a total accident but Trent Alexander-Arnold looks a bit worried. In the VAR bunker, John Brooks tells match referee Chris Kavanagh that it was not serious foul play. Alexander-Arnold apologises to Anderson, who is able to laugh it off.
59 min: I think it’s Murillo who tries a shot from just inside his own half and … well, suffice to say, it won’t be giving Josh Windass or indeed Alisson any sleepless nights.
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57 min: Luis Diaz miscontrols a defence-splitting pass from Gravenberch and a half-chance for Liverpool goes to waste.
55 min: Liverpool corner. Andy Robertson plays it short, receives the return pass and then balloons his cross towards the touchline. Trent Alexander-Arnold sprints to retrieve it and sends a cross towards the far post, where Robertson is unable to steer his header from a tight angle on target.
54 min: There’s another free-kick as Alexis Mac Allister is penalised for catching Chris Wood on the ankle with a mistimed challenge. Forest won’t mind the scrappy nature of the early stages of this second half one bit.
53 min: Ryan Yates is booked for wrapping his arms around Luis Diaz and preventing him from turning as the Liverpool player tried to give him the slip.
51 min: Callum Hudson-Odoi cuts inside from the left and shoots from distance but his effort spirals up in the air after taking a deflection off Szoboszlai. Liverpool clear their lines as the ball drops into the penalty area.
49 min: Neco Williams dispossesses Mo Salah as the Egyptian tries to scurry past him with the ball at his feet. It breaks to Ryan Yates a few yards outside the Forest penalty area and he’s fouled by another Ryan: Gravenberch.
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48 min: A brief period of Liverpool pressure is alleviated when Ola Aina uncermoniously hoofs the ball down the pitch.
47 min: Liverpool win a free-kick wide on the left and Trent Alexander-Arnold whips the ball into the Forest penalty area. His delivery isn’t great and fails to beat the first man in Elliot Anderson, who heads clear.
46 min: Fun fact: Liverpool had nine shots in the first half, none of which were on target.
Second half: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool
46 min: Play restarts with Liverpool on the ball and the mellifluous strains of Mull of Kintyre echoing around the City Ground. There are no changes in personnel on either side.
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Half-time: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool
Penned into their own half for the first eight minutes of the game, Forest scored against the run of play after Mo Salah coughed up cheap possession near the halfway line.
Callum Hudson-Odoi got the ball forward to Anthony Elanga, whose inch-perfect pass into the path of Chris Wood allowed the striker to score with what may have been his first touch of the game since he took the kick-off. Forest lead and thus far have been dealing with Liverpool’s threat extremely comfortably.
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45 min: The clock ticks towards half-time with Forest leading courtesy of their first and arguably only real chance of note in the game. Liverpool haven’t threatened their hosts’ goal much, having been restricted to potshots from distance or forced wide to send crosses into the box that have been meat and drink for Forest’s central defensive duo, Murillo and Milenkovic. And there’s the whistle for the break …
42 min: Morgan Gibbs-White is booked for angrily demanding that Chris Kavanagh show Dominik Szoboszlai a yellow card after he’d fouled the Forest midfielder.
40 min: A low Alexis Mac Allister drive from distance takes a deflection off Forest skipper Ryan Yates on its way out for a corner. Murillo clears when the inswinger comes into the Forest penalty area.
39 min: Having let the game flow until now, Chris Kavanagh’s patience with players taking liberties starts wearing a bit thin and he awards a series of free-kicks for various shoves and other niggly fouls.
35 min: Back in his own penalty area, Szoboszlai is in the right place to head clear a long throw from Ola Aina. Liverpool break upfield, where Murillo sticks out a foot to prevent Luis Diaz playing Gakpo in behind the Forest defence. That’s a crucial interception.
33 min: Szoboszlai tries to dink the ball towards Gakpo at the far post but overhits his pass and sends the ball sailing wide before waving apologetically towards his Dutch teammate.
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30 min: Murillo puts the ball out of play for a Liverpool throw-in deep in Forest territory after Mo Salah had got the better of Neco WIlliams in a one-on-one out by the right touchline. Nothing comes of it.
28 min: A Gakpo cross into the Forest penalty area is met by the head of Dominik Szoboszlai. Jumping alongside him, Neco Williams blocks the Liverpool midfielder’s effort with his own head.
27 min: Neco Williams clears a Cody Gakpo cross into the Forest penalty area with a thumping header. Less than half an hour into this game and this Forest defence currently look well able to deal with anything Liverpool can throw at them.
26 min: The home crowd cheer loudly as a crossfield ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold aimed in the direction of Cody Gakpo sails out of play for a throw-in.
25 min: Salah cuts inside from the right, getting the better of Neco Williams as he does so. His clipped cross to the far post is met by Gakpo, who can’t steer his header on target.
24 min: Luis Diaz is the latest Liverpool player to try a shot from distance and in the process becomes the latest to slice his effort wide.
22 min: Andy Robertson curls a cross into the Forest penalty area from the left. The ball bounces in front of Murillo, who puts it out for a corner. Robertson’s subsequent set-piece delivery is headed away by Milenkovic.
20 min: Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels plucks an aimless Mo Salah cross from the right from the sky and sends Forest on their way upfield again. An attempted Virgil van Dijk clearance ricochets off the shins of Elliott Anderson and fizzes across the edge of the Liverpool six-yard box but Andy Robertson is on hand to clear.
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19 min: Ola Aina clips a ball from deep towards the byline for Anthony Elanga to chase but there’s a mite too much welly on his ambitious delivery. The ball bounces out of play for a Liverpool goal-kick.
17 min: Mo Salah is penalised for fouling Neco Williams as he tries to control a crossfield pass from the left out by the touchline.
15 min: Liverpool advance with Mac Allister on the ball on the edge of the final third and Forest happy to leave him there to figure out a way through their extremely well marshalled defence. On this occasion, he draws a blank.
13 min: Callum Hudson-Odoi advances up the left flank for Forest, shrugging off the challenge of Trent Alexander-Arnold as he does so. Forest switch play to the other side of the pitch, the ball wends its way back to Hudson-Odoi and his weak shot is easily held by Alisson.
10 min: With Forest tails up after scoring against the run of early play, Murillo tries a shot from distance with the outside of his left boot that looks to be on target but veers visiously wide as it fizzes towards Alisson’s goal.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool (Wood 9)
Forest lead! Mo Salah loses the ball in midfield, the ball’s played forward to Chris Wood by Anthony Elanga and without breaking stride, the Kiwi striker sends a low diagonal effort across the bows of Alisson and into the far corner.
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8 min: Another Liverpool potshot from distance. This time it’s Gravenberch who sends the ball high and wide.
8 min: Luis Diaz plays the ball wide to Salah, who cuts inside and sends a cross into the Forest penalty area. His low delivery is hacked clear by Nikola Milenkovic.
6 min: Liverpool get forward again and Alexis Mac Allister curls a cross into the Forest penalty area. It’s headed clear by Murillo.
4 min: Now Gakpo tries his luck after cutting inside from the left and getting the ball on to his right foot. His effort sails high and well wide.
3 min: Alexis Mac Allister tries a low shot from distance after linking up with Cody Gakpo down the left flank. His effort is blocked on the edge of the Forest penalty area.
2 min: Ola Aina concedes an early throw-in near the halfway line and Liverpool get the ball back to Virgil van Dijk, who surveys the scene in front of him before playing it forward.
Nottingham Forest v Liverpool is go ...
1 min: Nottingham Forest get the ball rolling, their players wearing their customary home kit of red shirts, white shorts and red socks. Their visitors wear white shirts, black shorts and white socks. Game on!
Not long now: As Insomnia by Faithless blasts out over the Tannoy, the players of both sides assemble in the City Ground tunnel and are led out by referee Chris Kavanagh and his team of match officials. Kick-off is just a few minutes away. Good luck to anyone trying to catch a few Zs by the banks of the Trent in the next couple of hours.
Elsewhere in the Premier League: Rob Smyth is keeping tabs on tonight’s three 7.30pm kick-offs in the top flight and you can follow the action with him by clicking on the link below …
Arne Slot: "We have to do better"
“To lose on that day was hard to take,” said Liverpool’s head coach of his side’s surprise defeat at the hands of Forest at Anfield. “Now, looking back and seeing where they are in the league, it is not such a shock result as it felt then. They had a good game plan and made us play a poor game. We have to do better. We have to look into the details.”
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Nuno: "We know what we can do"
“We are here to compete against all of the teams and I think we are doing well, but nothing changes in our approach, which stays the same,” said the Forest boss of tonight’s opponents. “We know what we can do and how we want to do things. We know each other, our strengths and weaknesses. So let’s play the game.”
Upon being asked if he thinks Liverpool underestimated his side ahead of their game at Anfield in September, Nuno had this to say: “I cannot answer that. I don’t know. We don’t ever underestimate any opponent and the proof was against Luton. There’s no easy game in football. In my view, never, ever underestimate anybody.”
Jurgen Klopp: "I hope Salah stays at Liverpool"
Jürgen Klopp has described Mohamed Salah as “the biggest striker Liverpool have had in modern times”, saying he hopes his former employers will resolve their contract standoff with their talisman and extend his stay beyond this summer. Nick Ames reports from Salzburg …
Tonight’s match officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistants: Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring
Fourth official: John Busby
VAR: John Brooks
Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton
Those teams: Curtis Jones drops to the bench and is replced by Dominik Szoboszlai in the only change to the Liverpool side that started against Manchester United last time out in the Premier League.
Forest also make one change from their most recent league game, a 3-0 win away at Wolves. Nicolas Dominguez starts on the bench, making way for Ryan Yates.
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Nottingham Forest v Liverpool line-ups
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Yates, Gibbs-White, Elanga, Hudson-Odoi, Wood.
Subs: Miguel, Morato, Awoniyi, Dominguez, Ward-Prowse, Moreno, Jota, Sosa, Boly.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szooboszlai, Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
Subs: Kelleher, Endo, Chiesa, Jones, Elliott, Jota, Tsimikas, Quansah, Bradley.
Early team news
Liverpool are without striker Darwin Nunez, who must sit this game out through suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the season in his side’s most recent league match against Manchester United. Defender Joe Gomez also misses out with a hamstring injury.
Danilo could start for Nottingham Forest tonight after making his return from an ankle injury off the bench against Luton in the FA Cup on Saturday. Ivorian defensive midfielder Ibrahim Sangare misses out with a hamstring injury. Brazilian goalkeeper Carlos Miguel is likely to return to the Forest bench despite his impressive showing against Luton, with first choice goalkeeper Matz Sels likely to return between the sticks.
Premier League: Nottingham Forest v Liverpool
The only team to beat Liverpool in the league so far this season, Nottingham Forest host Arne Slot’s league leaders this evening hoping to repeat the feat and in the process establish their credentials as the most unlikely title contenders since Leicester City in 2016.
Among the favourites for relegation before a ball was kicked in August, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest have been a revelation this season and tonight’s game is something of a call-back to the classic encounters contested between these two clubs in the 1970s and 80s.
In third place in the table, six points behind Liverpool having played one match more, Forest are already being spoken of as potential Champions League qualifiers but a second win this season over Liverpool will almost certainly have their fans daring to dream of so much more. Kick-off at the City Ground is at 8pm GMT but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
