Both Liverpool and Nottingham Forest emerged with a point after an entertaining match at the City ground ended in a 1-1 draw. Diogo Jota scored a second-half equalizer just seconds after coming on the pitch as a substitute to offset Chris Wood's goal which came in the 8th minute for Forest.
First Half
The teams spent the first five minutes of the match as Nottingham Forest started in a low block. Ryan Gravenberch put a shot high in the 8th minute and it did not take Forest long to sprint to the other end of the pitch and score. Chris Wood finished off the chance in the bottom corner for a 1-0 lead.
Forest continued to have good chances but Alisson made a big save to keep the deficit at 1-0. Dominik Szoboszlai had a shot blocked in the 18th minute and the Reds continued to hold the majority of possession, but could not generate many shots.
They did earn a corner in the 23rd minute, but the chance was cleared. Cody Gakpo put his header high. There was a flurry inside the Forest box near the half-hour mark thanks to a run from Luis Diaz, but once again the defense was stout.
Andy Robertson forced a corner when his shot was blocked. The attempt was headed away to leave the score at 1-0 heading into halftime.
Second Half
Liverpool earned a free kick straight in the second half as they showed more urgency. That did not result in many chances as anytime Liverpool were in the attacking third, Forest would just thump the ball to the other end of the pitch.
The Reds had a promising buildup in the 55th minute, but a pass in the box was overhit. Mohamed Salah put a shot wide in the 59th minute. Alisson made a punch save on a Forest freekick.
In the 66th minute after a double change, the substitutes hooked up for an equalizer. Kostas Tsimikas delivered a perfect corner to the head of Diogo Jota who nodded it home to equalize at 1-1. Jota nearly had a brace as he cut around a defender in the 70th minute, but his shot was punched away by the keeper.
Liverpool kept pushing for the winner as they started to find space down the near side. Jota had another shot saved in the 76th minute to keep the match level. The match opened up from that point as both teams raced from end to end.
Salah put a shot well wide in the 83rd minute and Curtis Jones earned a corner in the 87th which nearly led to Salah's goal but the Forest goalie made a wonderful save. Cody Gakpo forced a fingertip save in stoppage time to help seal the 1-1 draw.
Second Half Adjustments
Arne Slot has impressed with his tactical adjustments early in his managerial career at Liverpool and this match was no different. Not only did he sub on two players that linked up for the goal, Liverpool have now pulled back 13 points from losing positions this season, the most in the Premier League. Stats also bear out just how well the Reds played in the second half. After not having any shots on goal in the first half, the Reds put six shots on frame in the second half.
Instant Impact
Diogo Jota scored just 25 seconds after coming on the pitch with the assist coming from fellow new-arrival Kostas Tsimikas. The goal ranks within the top 25 fastest goals by a sub in EPL history. The fastest was Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner who scored in just six seconds after coming off of the bench in 2007.
“It actually reminded me of the cup from a few years ago,” Jota told TNT Sports after the match. “I told him (Tsimikas), let's do it again. It was one of those occasions where everything went right.”
A Look At The Standings
With the draw, Liverpool stay six points ahead of Forest with 47 points, Meanwhile, even though, Liverpool ended their six-match EPL winning streak, Forest jumped ahead of Arsenal into second place with 41 points. This also keeps Liverpool from dropping both games to Forest for the first time since the 1962-63 season.
LFC Globe Verdict
This was a tale of two halves. It felt as if Nottingham Forest dominated the first half of play while Liverpool turned the tables in the second. I think if the Reds had just a few more minutes of stoppage time, they would have won. But full marks for Forest. They played a great game befitting a team in the top part of the table.
Man Of The Match
I'm actually going to give it to both Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota. Jota does not score without an inch-perfect cross from Tsimikas and Jota deserves credit for beating goalie Matz Sels who had not surrendered a goal in over 500 minutes of play up to that point.
What's Next?
Liverpool will stay on the road as they will travel to Brentford on January 18th. Kickoff is set for 15:00 hours GMT.
Goals
Nottingham Forest
- Chris Wood 8'
Liverpool
- Diogo Jota 66'
Substitutions
Nottingham Forest
- Nicolas Dominguez for Ryan Yates 78'
- Jota Silva for Callum Hudson-Odoi 83'
- Morato for Morgan Gibbs-White 90'
- Taiwo Awoniyi for Chris Wood 90'
- Alex Moreno for Neco Williams 90'
Liverpool
1. Kotas Tsimikas for Andy Robertson 65'
2. Diogo Jota for Ibrahima Konate 66'
3. Curtis Jones for Luis Diaz 75'