Nottingham Forest is still seeking its initial away league victory over Liverpool since 1969, as the hosts comfortably secured a 3-0 win, extending their unbeaten streak in Premier League home matches to 17.
Despite facing a Liverpool team boosted by a decisive victory over Toulouse on Thursday, Forest adopted a defensive strategy to counteract the home side’s attacking prowess. In the early stages, Steve Cooper’s game plan successfully frustrated Liverpool, with only a mild Diogo Jota header and a harmless Alexis Mac Allister strike posing any significant threats in the first 20 minutes. However, Forest’s well-devised plans took a hit in the 31st minute when Murillo’s mistake on the halfway line gifted possession to Liverpool. Darwin Núñez seized the opportunity, with his initial shot saved and Jota converting the rebound into an open net.
Following the breakdown of Forest’s resistance, Núñez quickly doubled the Reds’ lead by tapping in a cut-back from Dominik Szoboszlai after a sharp attacking move. Despite conceding two goals in four minutes, the Tricky Trees narrowly avoided a third before halftime, thanks to Matt Turner’s impressive saves against Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai.
As the match progressed beyond the hour mark, Forest struggled to pose a threat to Alisson Becker, indicating their focus was on limiting the damage rather than mounting a comeback. Despite their patience, Liverpool secured a third goal in the 77th minute, capitalizing on a blunder from Turner, who rushed out of his box and misjudged a long ball. This mistake allowed Mohamed Salah to easily slot in his eighth league goal of the season.
Anthony Elanga came close to giving the away fans something to celebrate with a powerful shot that hit the crossbar. On the other end, Cody Gakpo’s late effort was disallowed, but this did little to dampen the atmosphere at Anfield as the hosts maintained a perfect home record. The result extended Forest’s winless streak to six games.