These were the last words he said…

To say it was a first half to forget for Arne Slot’s side would be an understatement to put it mildly. Liverpool badly struggled to get to grips with the game which seen Nottingham Forest boss the first half from start to finish.

There were barely 3 minutes on the clock when Callum Hudson – Odoi went bearing down on Alisson Becker’s goal. The Brazilian kept out in true expert fashion, coming out to narrow the angle and making himself big in next to no time at all.

Liverpool defended relatively well for the remainder of the first half, limiting Forest to moments of hopefulness rather than clear cut opportunities. Alisson was called into action again to tip a cross over the bar but the back 4 otherwise coped well under testing circumstances. The key area of their issues were laid bare in midfield on an afternoon where they just couldn’t seem to keep possession for the vast majority of the opening 45 minutes. With Florian Wirtz having to pull out of the line up not long before kick off due to a minor back issue (something Slot says he hopes shouldn’t keep him out of next week’s visit of West Ham), Curtis Jones was handed a start in the number 10 role however the latter struggled to keep pace with the game in a position that he has admittedly rarely featured in. Jones was caught on the ball on numerous occasions which offered Forest the opportunity to break on Liverpool’s goal. On the half hour mark Slot made the decision to bring Jones to right back and push Dominik Szoboszlai into midfield in order to try and get a foot hold in the match.

If the eye told you that the reigning champions were second best in the first half of the Sunday afternoon contest, the stats definitely confirmed it. In the opening 45 minutes Liverpool had just 2 shots, 0.07 xG, 0 corners and created 0 big chances. Damning numbers for a team who seemed to be turning a corner in terms of both results and performances.

Slot’s tweak 15 minutes before the break coupled with tiring Forest legs after the energy exerted in the first half (and just 3 days after a trip to Istanbul for a 3-0 victory over Fenerbache) started to provide more control in the 2nd half. It wasn’t reflective of the sort of control that seen Liverpool cruise to their 20th league title last season, but it was definitely an improvement on the opening 45 minutes and the signs started to show late in the game that there was opportunity for the Reds to nick it.

A deep cross on the 55 minute mark from Cody Gakpo which found Mo Salah on the opposite side was nodded into Curtis Jones path who had his effort stopped by Stefan Ortega. It would be the 90th minute before Liverpool mustered another clear cut opportunity, this time Ortega keeping out Ekitike’s header after a superb piece of wing play from 17 year old substitute Rio Ngumoha. Ngumoha, making just his 9th Premier League appearance, was pivotal in getting Liverpool on the front foot so late on in the game. The subsequent clearance from Forest full back Ola Aine cannoned off Alexis Mac Allister and into the back of Ortega’s net, only for the goal to be ruled out for handball following a VAR intervention – Mac Allister admitting in his post match interview that the ball did indeed hit his elbow.

The Argentine was not to be denied however. The world cup winner was back in the mix 7 minutes later after another fantastic cross, this time from Szoboslai. Captain Virgil Van Dijk met it, only to see Ortega parry away again before Mac Allister followed in to fire home his first Premier League goal of the season and send the away end into ecstacy for the 2nd time in under 10 minutes. The second effort standing after another nervous VAR review which appeared to show Van Dijk clearly offside only for the semi automated technology to prove Aine was playing Van Dijk on scaresly by a big toe.

It was far from pretty for Liverpool. If anything it was the complete opposite but 3 points are not to be sniffed at given the current predicament and stage of the season. The Anfield hierarchy and all involved with the club will be all too aware of the importance of Champions League football next season. Given Liverpool set out at the start of this campaign with aims of retaining their title it would be inconceivable to think of life next season sat out of Europe’s top competition. Slot and his coaching staff now have the task of getting bodies back available and putting more wins on the board to push this years top 4 and potentially even top 3 whilst making a fist of it in Europe and the FA cup.