Deadly Jota
SALAH SEALS IT AFTER FOREST
MO SALAH might not be in the running for Footballer of the Year but the goals keep coming.
The Kop’s Egyptian King stole some of the limelight from twogoal Diogo Jota with a priceless winner to boost Jurgen Klopp’s fight for a Champions League place.
Jota is a man on fire with his second double in six days after scoring a brace in the 6-1 mauling of Leeds, after previously going 372 days without a goal.
But the timing of Salah’s winner in a topsy-turvy battle with Steve Cooper’s brave Forest was the perfect response to Forest making it 2-2 minutes earlier. It was also sprinkled with the same stardust that’s enabled him to draw level in sixth position with Anfield legend Robbie Fowler on 183 goals in the list of all- time great Liverpool scorers.
And the fact that Salah has done it in 71 fewer games than Fowler speaks volumes for the class and quality of the brilliant striker.
Salah struck just minutes after Morgan Gibbs-white had levelled up the scores with Klopp’s
magician wriggling free of Remo Freuler to fire home his 27th of the season from Trent Alexanderarnold’s expert delivery after a VAR check.
It dampened down Forest’s fire and ensured Liverpool stay in the fight for a top-four place.
All three goals might have come from set-pieces but Klopp (right) wasn’t happy with the chaos created by Forest’s own dead-ball weapon – Moussa Niakhate’s long throws.
But he was full of praise for Jota, especially his classy second goal finish to put Liverpool 2-1 ahead.
“With the second goal you
really can see what goals do for offensive players, they give confidence,” said Klopp.
“It was a super first touch and the finish was exceptional,.
“He could have had a third with a great chance in the first half. He’s so valuable for us and he deserves this after not scoring for so long.”
Forest won the reverse game in October but their Anfield record is so bad the odds were heavily stacked against them as their fight for survival intensifies.
To their credit, they gave it a real go although once again poor defending stopped them earning a priceless point. Forest hadn’t
a priceless point. Forest hadn’t won at Anfield in 25 attempts since a 2-0 League win 54 years ago in the days when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister.
But it was Liverpool who laboured in the first half, despite 86 per cent possession.
There were a couple of scares for Forest and they were lucky to escape as Williams cleared a Cody Gakpo header off the line.
Losing defender Scott Mckenna with a collar-bone injury after half an hour was a blow.
And just before half-time, Jota served notice of what was to come, carelessly missing the target at the far post. But less than two minutes into the second half Liverpool found their range with Jota heading home from close in after Forest’s defenders failed to head clear Alexanderarnold’s corner.
But Forest are fighting for their lives and they delivered arguably their best attacking display of the season on the road.
A throw put Liverpool on the back foot and when the ball arrived for Neco Williams the fullback fired goalwards, his shot deflecting off Andy Robertson and past Alisson.
Forest needed to settle but minutes later they were behind again as Jota superbly juggled Robertson’s free-kick and hooked home a mesmerising goal.
The plucky visitors equalised again with a Gibbs-white shot deflecting off both Konate and Alexander-arnold before they imploded again to concede Salah’s winner.
Boss Cooper couldn’t hide his disappointment. “The huge frustration is we conceded three goals from set-pieces, that’s really avoidable,” he said.
“We have done some decent things but you can’t get away from the fact we lost. We’re trying to stick together, You saw a real connection with the supporters.”