-Credit:Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
THE CITY GROUND, NOTTINGHAM // Liverpool came from behind to draw 1-1 with Nottingham Forest in a tight battle between two of the Premier League’s top three.
Early in the game, Chris Wood put Nottingham Forest in front with a good finish into the corner after a counter-attack, but that was exactly the kind of thing that Nuno Espirito Santo would have been dreaming about: a lead to defend. Even had Wood not scored, the game plan would have remained the same: don’t concede.
Diogo Jota did manage to level in the second half, but neither side was capable of scoring a winner. Here are the four things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
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Dominik Szoboszlai runs out of space as Virgil van Dijk frustrated
It is often said that a player is at their best and most valued by the team when they aren’t there. That has perhaps been the case with Liverpool and Dominik Szoboszlai, but the Hungarian was always likely to be vital in a game like this one. Nottingham Forest can run and Liverpool needed a midfield filled with enough technical quality to dominate and enough physical power to compete.
In Szoboszlai, there is a perfect combination of both of those elements when he is at his best. That was the case at Spurs before Christmas, before suspension and illness disrupted his rhythm. For his ability to shine through, though, he needs some space. There was nothing of the sort for him to work in, with every touch closed down.
Virgil van Dijk, in the first half at least, was annoyed with his midfield (and Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, in particular) for not moving into spaces and creating passing lanes. At one point, he fumed at the Liverpool pair and Luis Diaz too, but the Nottingham Forest low block should get some credit. Ultimately, it gave next to nothing away aside from the Jota header.
-Credit:2025 Liverpool FC
Diogo Jota decisive
Even if Darwin Nunez was not suspended for this game, it seems unlikely that he would have started. It feels unlikely that his heroics in this fixture last season would have been repeated, either, when he came off the bench to head home a 99th-minute winner.
Diaz and Jota have overtaken him in the pecking order, with the Uruguayan having been linked with an exit this week. Diaz started and didn’t make much of an impact, before Jota came off the bench to clinch a point. It took literally a second for the Portugal striker to find the back of the net, with the subs (Jota and Kostas Tsimikas) combining to force an equalizer from a corner kick.
Liverpool’s Portuguese striker #20 Diogo Jota shoots but hits the post during the English Premier League football match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool at The City Ground in Nottingham, central England, on January 14, 2025. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest defense shows its strength
It is exactly a month since Nottingham Forest last conceded a goal, when it won 2-1 against Aston Villa at the City Ground in mid-December. Since then, it has gone five matches — Brentford, Spurs, Everton, Wolves and Luton — without letting one in. The first goal, here, then, was always going to be important.
When Wood put Nottingham Forest in front, just like Atletico Madrid in a high-profile Champions League tie, it had something to hold onto, and that is exactly what it did until Jota popped up. Everyone but Wood behind the ball, this was a test of whether Liverpool could break down the low block.
The answer? Kind of, but only really from a set piece. There were some other chances late on, but they were snatched at under pressure, including by Mohamed Salah. That’s what happens when opportunities to shoot come so sporadically.
Arne Slot acknowledges Liverpool supporters after the team’s draw with Nottingham Forest at City Ground (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) -Credit:Michael Regan/Getty Images
Premier League title picture unchanged
With six points between the sides at kick-off — plus Liverpool having a game in hand — the talk beforehand was all about whether or not Nottingham Forest is a genuine title contender. Jamie Carragher suggested that it would be with a victory, but in the end the score was tied, giving nothing away in terms of a decisive outome.
Chelsea only drew 2-2 against Bournemouth, while Arsenal plays Spurs tomorrow in the North London derby — a fixture that will be tricky at best for the Gunners, not least now without Gabriel Jesus. That will be a test of their title mettle that they surely need to win and begin to close the gap.
For Liverpool, it was a frustrating performance against Nottingham Forest. A point away at the third-placed team heading into this round of games, however, is not the worst result. Liverpool remains, of course, in the driving seat.