Diogo Jota scored a brace to help Liverpool produce one of the high-scoring football results of the weekend in the Premier League. With back-to-back wins after two draws, the victory extended their unbeaten streak to four games, which ranks as their joint-best streak in a patchy season. Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White were able to cancel out two goals from Diogo Jota, but Mohamed Salah’s 182nd goal for the team, which moved him into a tie for sixth place with Robbie Fowler on the club’s all-time goalscorers list, sealed the victory. The outcome brought about Klopp’s 100th league victory at Anfield and pulled Liverpool to within six points of fourth-placed Newcastle, who play fellow Champions League contender Tottenham on Sunday.
Despite having 86 percent of the ball in the first half, Liverpool had nothing to show for their dominance at the break. Keylor Navas deflected a header from Virgil van Dijk and Jota missed a golden opportunity to score from close range. Seconds after the break, though, Alexander-Arnold’s corner caused chaos in the Forest six-yard box, allowing Fabinho to head the ball back across the goal for Jota to convert practically on the goal line.
Four minutes later, Williams equalized for Forest with a powerful shot that looped past Alisson Becker after deflecting off Andy Robertson, kicking off a frenzied second half. Navas’s fingertip stop, which tipped Jota’s header over the bar, prevented him from scoring a hat-trick. In front of a delighted away end, Gibbs-White then volleyed in a stunning equalizer of his own to bring Forest even again.
Those celebrations, once more, were short-lived as Salah collected Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick and scored through the frame of the Forest goal to tie Fowler for the most goals for Liverpool with 183. The winner at the City Ground in October was scored by former Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi, but the Reds couldn’t shut the back door. Awoniyi’s overhead kick grazed the crossbar, and Johnson came even closer by rattling the woodwork.
Only Ollie Watkins (14) and Erling Haaland (13) have more goal involvement in the tournament than Mohamed Salah (12 – 9 goals, 3 assists) in 2023. This marks the first time in seven games that Mohamed Salah has scored in three straight Premier League games. A total of 36 Premier League games played at Anfield between Liverpool and newly promoted teams have resulted in only one loss (W29 D6). During their current winning streak of five games, they have also scored 20 goals.
For the first time since May 1999 against Blackburn (2-1 win), Nottingham Forest scored twice in a Premier League away game. This was also the first time they did so without winning since December 1998 against Sheffield Wednesday (3-2 loss). Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson both assisted for Liverpool, which was the first time since January 2022’s match against Brentford and the tenth time they both did it in the same Premier League game.
“The outcome is what matters most in football. I believe we earned the three points since we controlled the ball at a high rate (around 86 percent in the first half),” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “We exacerbated situations beyond what was necessary, yet we exercised the patience that was required of us. It’s evident that this is not a game to enjoy while playing against such a deep block because it would only have become an up-and-down game if we lost the ball.”
“The goal is the outcome. The overwhelming emotion is disappointment and resentment because we lost. We didn’t defend three set plays nearly well enough, which is why it happened. From a free kick, we lost runners twice, not just once. You will pay for that when you do that,” Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper said. “In both the Premier League and in European football, it was always going to be a difficult match. We had a strategy, and a large portion of it was successful. Liverpool had a tonne of possession and territory, but they rarely produced anything from open play. We managed to score two goals, including one from open play, we hit the crossbar, and there were times when we could have been even more dangerous if we had been a little more precise with our final ball and the finer points.”
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