Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool – 1-0 win at the City Ground. In every game, of all the players. Taiwo Awoniyi played for Liverpool for seven years, although he never had the opportunity to wear the club’s jersey in a match against another team. He received loan after loan, but he never got the chance to play for the Reds.
In contrast, he gave the other Reds, Nottingham Forest, their first Premier League victory since August here at the City Ground, breaking the hearts of his former team. Despite recent triumphs over Manchester City and West Ham, there has been talking of a comeback, but Jurgen Klopp’s club still has, to put it bluntly, poor foundations. Liverpool was anything but smooth as Forest resolutely defended, forced Klopp’s squad into a battle, and then immediately overcame them through Awoniyi early in the second half.
The Nigerian was on hand to score close range after Ryan Yates’ initial shot hit the post. His third goal since leaving Union Berlin in the summer was good for three points as Liverpool suffered their second defeat against a team that had just been promoted. Forest, on the other hand, might celebrate a triumph that will be cherished for years and that could turn their campaign around after a rough start.
The Performing Side:
Taiwo Awoniyi: The Nigerian player is consistently tenacious. As a Liverpool player, he showed this by taking numerous loans to Belgium and Holland before settling in Berlin. Days like this will ensure that, while playing for Nottingham, he always feels the love of the fans. He was making an attempt at poaching, and when he succeeded, Awoniyi left to the loudest cheers of the afternoon.
Steve Cooper: Neco Williams, a Reds academy product, was competing at left-back despite playing out of position with Awoniyi, Harvey Elliott, Mohamed Salah, and the rest of the team. After spending 23 years in the wilderness, the manager, a former youth coach at Kirkby, is responsible for bringing the Garibaldi Reds back to the top flight. They needed their goalie at the very end, but if Liverpool hadn’t been there, Forest might have given the final score even more brilliance. As it is, 1-0 is more than sufficient.
Alisson Becker: If the Liverpool goalie is anything like him, he will have been pushing some of his squad members against the dressing room wall after that. With the possible exception of Elliott, Jurgen Klopp’s season has been marred by failure, and the only starter to earn any plaudits is the Brazilian. A deep set-piece caught Alisson’s defense off guard and rendered him helpless as Forest scored the victory. He found himself in the Forest penalty area in the dying seconds, and when Van Dijk’s header was saved, he nearly scored on a rebound of his own.
The Losing Side:
Liverpool’s attack: After edging off West Ham and thrillingly overcoming Manchester City, there was optimism that Liverpool had finally found its rhythm. They hadn’t won a Premier League game at the City Ground, though, and they didn’t deserve to do so now. Van Dijk should have performed better with a few headers as they had some chances, but Harvey Elliott, like Curtis Jones, put his best effort too far from the goal while Salah and Roberto Firmino lacked any kind of spark.
Joe Gomez: He must have believed he was able to get away with it. Yes, a yellow card, but an essential one. Gomez saw Awoniyi block his attempted ball to Van Dijk as the defense dallied in possession on the halfway line. This caused the defender to scramble to grab the shirt. It ended up costing Forest; as Forest shot the ball in from the free kick, it bounced off the post and fell to Awoniyi, who pounced. Gomez won player of the match honors against City the previous week, but since then he has conceded a penalty against West Ham and put on this poor performance at Forest, which resulted in his manager berating him for being too hesitant in a challenge.
Fabinho: The main point of the Reds’ midfield for a very long time has been Fabinho, but his current state is very worrying. He appears to be worn out, and his legs will not obey his instructions. His weaknesses are too readily exploited and circumvented, and his ball abilities are insufficient to make up for them. Although Curtis Jones, who was making his first start since May, initially served as his partner, he was missing his usual sidekicks in this situation. However, the guy in question is Fabinho, who is experienced. He isn’t acting that way at all.
The Defensive Side:
Alisson Becker: A flawless handling and two significant stops at 1-0. An equalizer was nearly scrambled. Blameless.
James Milner: In the first half, he and Elliott appeared to have the most chance of exposing Forest. Van Dijk received one from Milner, who also displayed strong defense. Before being replaced, he effectively set up Elliott after the interval.
Joe Gomez: He lost the war because he had Awoniyi on his hands. He stumbled after his foul, which resulted in the goal. received a reprimand from Klopp for acting timidly in the second half.
Virgil van Dijk: He wasted a fantastic-headed opportunity in the first half and ought to have performed better with one late. Other than that, he played defense admirably.
Andy Robertson: He was less able to move forward, but when he did, he was dangerous. Toward the end, he appeared exhausted.
For more match highlights and results, keep watching this space.
