Sore heads will be the order of the day in Nottingham on Wednesday morning. One of those will belong to the Forest centre-back Murillo who spent 90 minutes using his cranium in an attempt to help his side hold on to a lead against Liverpool. It was not meant to be in the end, but this was further evidence the 22-year-old is growing into one of the world’s best defenders thanks to the perfect balance of intelligence, aggression and physicality.
Not only were a multitude of crosses nutted out of the box with great regularity but the focus required to quieten the most prolific forward line in the country and possibly the finest in Europe would have made anyone physically and mentally weary, although Murillo will not fear a hangover. Forest have conceded once in two matches against the league leaders, who have scored 47 in their other 18. It is not through luck that Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have dealt so well with Liverpool, it takes plenty of organisation and quality.
The Brazilian’s experience with Corinthians was limited when Forest took a £10m punt on the young centre-back during their scattergun epoch of recruitment. Many must have wondered if his lack of credentials would make him a concern in a Premier League defence, especially one struggling as it was when he landed in the East Midlands.
Murillo is certainly not short of confidence and likes to play on the front foot; in the first half he picked up a loose ball just inside the Liverpool half and decided, as no other centre-back would, that the only option was to drive forward and take aim from around 40 yards. He possesses a thunderous left foot and his compatriot Alisson expressed some concern as it whistled past his post.
A similar trick was attempted after the break when Murillo had intercepted the ball and spotted the goalkeeper off his line. Despite being on the halfway line, he tried his luck without success.
These are not part of Murillo’s remit but it sums up the character of the man. Someone unfazed by any opponent and backing his own ability – this transfers to his defending too. Amid the numerous interceptions and aggressive tackles timed to perfection to provide his own brand of entertainment to a raucous crowd, the standout moment came when Liverpool broke on Forest, giving Luis Díaz almost a free run towards the box with only Murillo in his way. Cody Gakpo looked sure to collect a through ball from the Colombian but a timely leg was outstretched to block the pass and save the day. It was intelligent defending, getting into the right position while backtracking to almost certainly prevent a goal.
Díaz had made an enemy in Murillo and the Brazilian was eager to show he was the dominant partner in the feud. With the ball not in sight, the centre-back executed a cunning push into the winger’s back, putting him on the deck and complaining of being wronged. Murillo possesses street-smarts and none of the officials spotted it, further winding up Díaz and distracting him from his real task.
Many formations and partners have made up the Forest defence during his tenure at the heart of it. The best thing Nuno and the recruitment team have done to harness the talent they have in one of the Premier League’s best left-sided centre-backs, was bring in Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina. They complement one another perfectly; the Serb is a calming influence in the heat of the battle, willing to head away boulders and sweep up when required.
Mohamed Salah was trying to play in between Murillo and Neco Williams on the left but was ineffective by his standards. Finding space was a difficult concept for the Liverpool forward who struggled with the physicality of Murillo and was unable to outrun him nor use his favourite tactic of cutting in from the right and shooting.
Prior to the game with Liverpool, Forest had kept four straight clean sheets. Considering what centre-backs are going for, the idea Forest have acquired the most stable pairing in the league for a combined total of about £25m shows that their throwing excrement at the wall era is over.
They will, however, be left frustrated by conceding so easily from a set piece, allowing Diogo Jota to move freely behind Murillo and flick home seconds after coming on to the pitch. It was a critical moment but it should not be forgotten that this was their first shot on target and it took until the 55th minute. Prior to this, Liverpool had been limited to shooting from distance as they could not get close to Matz Sels’s goal.
Murillo is loved at Forest and when he finally thrashes a 40-yard screamer into the top corner, the City Ground will erupt. In the meantime, they will celebrate his every tackle and block because it is what he does best, as Liverpool will tell you.
