Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest Review
Liverpool have now gone six Premier League matches without a victory after being held to a 2-2 draw at Anfield by Nottingham Forest, who are still searching for their first win under new manager Oliver Glasner. Both teams were left frustrated after the opening weekend, with Liverpool needing a last-minute penalty to earn a point against Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest losing to Leeds United in front of their home fans.
Therefore, this match presented an opportunity for either side to jumpstart their season, something the players seemed aware of during the first half. Early on, the visitors were more energetic, and after Jérémy Jacquet made a crucial save to deny Igor Jesus and Dan Ndoye missed a free header, Ndoye eventually broke the deadlock midway through the half. As often happened in the early stages, Morgan Gibbs-White played a key role by setting up the Swiss international, who calmly placed the ball into the far corner.
Despite the setback, Liverpool bounced back well and created several opportunities to level the score. Florian Wirtz stood out among the Reds, and he believed he had scored just after the 30-minute mark when he struck the ball into the bottom corner on the turn, but the goal was disallowed because Jeremie Frimpong was offside during the buildup. Wirtz then had a header saved by Matz Sels, and Víctor Muñoz curled a shot wide from close range when he really should have scored.
Demonstrating their attacking threat, Forest nearly doubled their lead just before halftime, but a brilliant save from Alisson Becker denied Jesus’ first-time shot. After the break, both teams found promising positions but failed to create clear chances until Cody Gakpo collected the ball on the right and set up Alexander Isak, who tapped the ball into an empty net from a few yards out with an hour played.
Many expected Liverpool to continue their momentum, but within 10 minutes, they found themselves trailing again. Shortly after coming on, Forest’s record signing Liam Delap quickly threw the ball to Neco Williams, who attempted a lob over Alisson that went wide. However, the Brazilian goalkeeper took down the former Liverpool player, conceding a penalty. Gibbs-White confidently converted the spot-kick to put the visitors back in front. Liverpool responded by rallying and scored another equalizer with just under 10 minutes left.
Muñoz scored his first goal by powerfully striking the ball off the crossbar, giving the home side hope of turning the match around. Despite this, Andoni Iraola’s team never seemed likely to claim all three points, settling instead for a draw. After two matches, they have only two points, which is not the ideal start for the new manager. Forest, on the other hand, will feel they deserved more after leading twice, but this result provides a foundation for Glasner and his squad to build upon.
