Last Saturday, Liverpool's stellar start to the English Premier League season came to a surprising halt. The Reds, who had enjoyed an unbeaten run of three wins without conceding a goal, were stunned by Nottingham Forest's historic 1-0 victory at Anfield—their first win in over five decades.
Despite dominating possession with 70% of the ball and creating numerous chances, Liverpool struggled to find the back of the net. The match's only goal came in the 72nd minute when Callum Hudson-Odoi skillfully curled a shot past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, securing the win for Forest.
Forest's approach was marked by strategic long balls and disciplined defense. With just 30% possession and three shots on target, Forest proved that quality can triumph over quantity. This victory marked their first win since 1969, highlighting a remarkable turnaround for the team.
Liverpool's performance was uncharacteristic, with passes going astray and missed opportunities reflecting a lack of cohesion. Manager Arne Slot addressed the team's struggles, acknowledging the impact of the international break that saw ten players unavailable. However, he emphasized that the team's effort and determination remained strong.
\"It's always difficult, but I don't think it had anything to do with it. Players came back strong and I saw today a team that wanted to fight until the end. That wasn't to do with energy,\" Slot explained. He also critiqued Liverpool's high possession play, noting that too many individual performances did not meet the standards expected.
Liverpool's lone significant chance came early in the match when Luis Diaz fired a shot against the near post, but it ricocheted off the goal. Despite having the majority of possession, Liverpool failed to convert their opportunities, resulting in a disappointing 1-0 setback at home.
Manager Slot concluded, \"We had a lot of ball possession, but only managed to create three or four quite good chances. That's by far not enough. If you have so much possession, and play so much in their half, we need to be much better. We lost the ball so many times in simple situations. It is a big setback. If you lose a home game that's always a setback.\"
Reference(s):
Liverpool not up to standard, Slot says after defeat to Nottingham
cgtn.com
