Forest fire too hot for Reds to handle
EVEN Brian Clough couldn’t have experienced noise like this at The City Ground. Nottingham Forest’s first win over Liverpool since 1996, one that lifted them off the foot of the Premier League, was greeted with an explosion of sound rarely heard in the modern game.
Taiwo Awoniyi was the goal hero against his former club having spent six years at Liverpool without playing in the first team because of work-permit issues.
Forest manager Steve Cooper, odds-on for the sack a few weeks ago, had unexpectedly defeated the club where he used to coach at the academy, and defender Neco Williams, who only left Anfield for Forest in the summer, kept Mo Salah quiet. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson made some incredible saves in injury-time and ended up celebrating in the crowd at the final whistle. It was that kind of day.
‘We had four or five no-brainer chances from set-pieces,’ said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp about his side’s wastefulness, though he could have also used a lengthy injury list as mitigation.
For Cooper, a first win since August 14 — and one reminiscent of the great European Cup clashes between the clubs in the late Seventies — could change the season around. ‘We’ve got to make it a turning point. That’s what we discussed in the dressing room afterwards. Winners keep on winning,’ he said. ‘We needed a fresh team for today. We had options and felt T (Taiwo) would be a real handful for their defenders. He proved it.’
This was a proud Forest win, and dramatic, and chaotic. The five minutes of injury time alone could have filled a book. Virgil van Dijk miscued a free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold and then saw a header saved on the goal-line by Henderson who was chest-bumped by team-mates in celebration.
In the last throes, Henderson tipped over from Salah and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson went up for a corner, hoping to repeat his goalscoring heroics against West Bromwich Albion.
This time, Forest broke and nearly added a late second when Brennan Johnson hit the post from long range while the goal lay unguarded.
When referee Paul Tierney blew the final whistle, it was emotional, and loud. The last time Forest had beaten Liverpool 26 years ago, Steve
Stone scored the goal. ‘It’s a great win and I want so see the boys even hungrier now,’ said Cooper.
Liverpool arrived as hot favourites but Klopp’s line-up gave the home side a lift. Thiago’s ear infection meant he joined Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Naby Keita, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Darwin Nunez on the unavailable list, while Alexander-Arnold and Henderson were put on the bench with half an eye on Wednesday’s Champions League visit to Ajax.
Liverpool may have suspected the worst shortly before the interval when van Dijk looked certain to score with a close-range header but instead decided to nod back to Roberto Firmino, who missed.
‘Virge thought he was offside — he wasn’t,’ said Klopp pointedly. Klopp, who could face a touchline ban next week after accepting an FA charge of improper conduct for his berating of officials against Manchester City last week, tried to stay calm but all the good work of wins against City and West Ham in the last week were undone after 55 minutes.
Joe Gomez wrestled Awoniyi to the ground just inside the Forest half and from the resulting set-piece, Scotland defender Scott McKenna found Steve Cook by the far touchline.
The defender’s cross was initially mishit by Awoniyi onto the post but the Nigerian striker reacted well to fire in the rebound with his right foot.
Awoniyi had been sent abroad on loan seven times by Liverpool before signing for Union Berlin, who then sold him to Forest last summer for £17million.
Morgan Gibbs-White was denied by a great block from James Milner as Forest threatened to make it 2-0 and Klopp sent on Alexander-Arnold and Henderson to try to mount a comeback.
Forest almost scored again when Alisson parried from Brennan Johnson but Liverpool’s white shirts poured forward with growing urgency in the closing stages.
Van Dijk missed two good chances, one his own fault, the second due to Henderson’s reflexes.
Klopp has blamed pitches, weather conditions and referees for past Liverpool defeats. This time the attention was the profligacy of his own players in front of goal. ‘I can’t explain the result. Not really,’ he said.
‘I saw our spirit but who can we blame for not finishing situations off? It was just us. This was a big blow, we wanted to get three points.
‘They defended with everyone they had but it wasn’t world-class defending because we had chances. We just didn’t use them. Our best chances were set pieces but they count as well, don’t they.’