Nottingham Forest 1-0 Liverpool (Awoniyi, 55′)
Nottingham Forest earned only their second Premier League win of the season and first since August by beating Liverpool at the City Ground thanks to to Taiwo Awoniyi’s second half goal.
It was telling of Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino’s limited impact on proceedings that Virgil Van Dijk had Liverpool’s three best chances of the game, all from set-pieces. Jurgen Klopp lamented his team’s profligacy from such situations in his post-match interview with BT Sport.
“I never saw a game when one team has not sure… four or five no-brainers from a set-piece, where we have to finish it off,” he said. “Bobby first half, Virgil I think two times, three times so they have to put the game to bed to be 100 per cent honest.”
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While the visitors had a few chances, the win was no more than Awoniyi and Forest deserved for their efforts and the scoreline could have been more emphatic had Brennan Johnson scored, rather than hit the post, with the goal gaping after Alisson had gone up for a corner.
“There are a couple of important factors to the result today,” said Steve Cooper afterwards. “One is how desperate we were for a win. Also, there is a lot of nostalgia and history to this fixture so it was an important day for the football club. Like we said before the game, getting back to the Premier League was for days like today.”
Player ratings from both teams are below:
Nottingham Forest player ratings
Dean Henderson – Made an excellent stop to deny Elliott at a crucial point in the game just after Forest had gone in front and then an even better one to keep out Van Dijk in second half injury time – a moment he toasted with a passionate fist pump. 8/10
This save is UNREAL!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2022
The 92nd minute as Liverpool pile on the pressure, Dean Henderson does this to deny Virgil van Dijk.
Take a bowpic.twitter.com/Pz5doHlfZA
Serge Aurier – Considering he is nowhere near up to speed after missing a full pre-season, the Ivorian stuck gamely to his task against the lively Carvalho and overlapping Robertson. His defensive aptitude was questioned while he was at Spurs but he was extremely solid from start to finish. 8/10
Steve Cook – Swept up well to deal with forward passes into the channel and launched himself at any ball tossed into Forest’s penalty area. One of the few players in this squad with Premier League experience and he had to draw on all of it as Forest faced a late onslaught. 8/10
Scott McKenna – Like his defensive partner a rock at the back. Has struggled at times to adapt to the step up in class from the Championship but was excellent. 8/10
Neco Williams – Picked to face his former teammates and performed well in his less favoured position of left-back. Stuck to his task diligently and had a good game before making way with 20 minutes to go. 7/10
Ryan Yates – Put himself about and won the ball in key areas. Thought he had sealed a famous victory when springing onto a Gibbs-White pass but was denied by a fantastic Alisson save. A captain’s performance from the academy graduate. 7/10
Remo Freuler – An integral player for a very good Switzerland side and for previous club Atalanta during their recent rise – perhaps given the raft of arrivals at the City Ground his arrival flew under the radar. Unflashy in midfield but did an excellent job of protecting his back four. 7/10
Cheikou Kouyate – Set the tone for the home side by making some crunching tackles, but played right on the edge. Made a superb lung-busting run to set up substitute Johnson and given a well-deserved ovation as he made his way off late on after a superb performance. 8/10
Morgan Gibbs-White – Nominally played on the right but had a free role to drift centrally and looked the most likely to make something happen for the hosts in the first half. Denied a near certain goal by Milner’s intervention and unfortunate to get an assist after teeing up Yates. Gradually becoming more influential in the final third. 7/10
Jesse Lingard – Had Forest’s best chance of the first half but lashed straight at Alisson. Has been criticised after a slow start to his career at the City Ground and while he had a limited attacking impact again, he worked hard before his substitution. 6/10
Taiwo Awoniyi – Spent six years at Liverpool without making a competitive appearance, largely due to work permit issues. A willing runner who caused Van Dijk and Gomez problems all games, the Nigerian was rewarded for his perseverance with an open goal to put Forest in front. Based on this appearance it is surprising Cooper hasn’t utilised him more frequently. 8/10
Right place at the right time for Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2022
The City Ground has ERUPTED! pic.twitter.com/1O52sduvcZ
Substitutes:
Brennan Johnson – Fans have got on his back recently but made a decent impression off the bench, forcing Alisson into a good save before hitting the post in injury time. 6/10
Joe Worrall – Brought on as part of a tactical reshuffle as Cooper switched from four to five at the back and slotted in well. 6/10
Renan Lodi – Given some minutes after a recent ankle injury. 6/10
Orel Mangala – Brought on to add energy late on. N/A
Klopp on Nunez and Thiago absences
Before the game, Klopp explained the absences of Darwin Nunez and Thiago Alcantara from his matchday squad. Nunez was replaced early in the second half of Wednesday’s 1-0 win against West Ham after scoring the only goal.
“No [it’s not precautionary], I wish I could do that,” Klopp said of the Uruguayan’s fitness.
“For Darwin, the game comes too early, he still feels the intensity of the game muscle-wise so there was no chance he could play today. Maybe he could play tomorrow or on Monday but not today.
“And Thiago got a bad ear infection overnight. The decision was made this morning at 5.15. That’s how it is sometimes and that’s the reason for that.”
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson – Kept far busier than he might have expected and made a superb stop to keep out Yates late on. While most of his teammates’ standards have dipped, his have remained sky-high. Liverpool’s Player of the Season so far and it’s not even really close. 8/10
James Milner – Replaced Alexander-Arnold at right-back and whipped in a few crosses that his teammate would have been proud of, particularly for Van Dijk and Salah. Made a superb, and vital, block to deny Gibbs-White a second Forest goal. One of the first players off as Klopp sought a route back into the game but that was no reflection on his performance. 7/10
Joe Gomez – Praised by his manager on Friday after impressing of late, but played a crucial role in the winning goal by conceding the free-kick from which Awoniyi scored with a cynical foul on the forward. 5/10
Virgil van Dijk – Missed a glorious chance to open the scoring by bizarrely trying to tee up Firmino instead, passed up another one from an Alexander-Arnold free-kick and made it a hat-trick of missed opportunities in injury time with a free header. Defended well for the most part, but will have been disappointed at how easily Awoniyi was able to score. 6/10
Andy Robertson – Recalled in place of Tsimikas but still searching for his best form after a slow, and injury-interrupted start to the campaign. Did set up a good chance for Alexander-Arnold late on but it was too little, too late. 6/10
Harvey Elliott – Crafted the first opening for Liverpool, superbly picking out Carvalho and drew a flying stop from Henderson shortly after his side had gone behind. Always looked to make something happen when too many of his senior teammates went missing. 7/10
Fabinho – Nowhere near at his best and not for the first time this season. Kept losing the ball in his own half and looked lost without the assured presence of Thiago alongside him. There is plenty of competition, but Fabinho might have suffered the most alarming drop-off in Liverpool’s squad this term. 5/10
Curtis Jones – Made his first Premier League start of the season alongside Fabinho in midfield before shifting out to the left once Henderson had been brought on. Given his lack of game time, he was less culpable than most to a poor performance and result. 6/10
Fabio Carvalho – Had the game’s first big chance but was unable to finish after taking a glorious first touch. Faded after a bright start. 6/10
Mohamed Salah – Raised alarm when he went down clutching his lower back despite not appearing to take a knock but managed to shrug it off. Uncharacteristically missed his kick when completely free inside the box and had virtually no impact on the game in a centre forward position. 4/10
Roberto Firmino – Has been one of Liverpool’s more consistent performers in the opening weeks but was strangely subdued on this occasion. So limited was the Brazilian’s impact that he was substituted with 15 minutes remaining as Liverpool sought to overturn a 1-0 deficit. 4/10
Subs:
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Created a couple of good chances from set-pieces after coming off the bench just past the hour mark. 6/10
Jordan Henderson – Considering Thiago was unavailable, it was a surprise that Henderson did not start. Proof of his diminishing status in Klopp’s pecking order? 6/10
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Back after another long-term injury but unable to turn the tide in Liverpool’s favour. 6/10
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