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Takeaways from Liverpool’s draw vs. Nottingham Forest (2:31)
Steve Nicol and Craig Burley discuss why Nottingham Forest was able to matchup well against Liverpool in their 1-1 draw. (2:31)
NOTTINGHAM, England — Arne Slot is no stranger to being serenaded on the touchline. Adored at previous club Feyenoord Rotterdam, the Liverpool head coach has quickly grown accustomed to hearing supporters at Anfield — and in away ends up and down the country — singing his praises from the terraces as his team have so masterfully swept nearly all before them.
But on Tuesday night, it was the Nottingham Forest fans who made Slot the subject of their attentions as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side battled to halt their visitors’ march toward the Premier League title, holding Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at The City Ground.
“Arne Slot, it’s happening again!” crowed the Forest fans after Chris Wood notched his 13th league goal of the season to give the hosts the lead inside eight minutes. Indeed, for more than an hour of this contest, it looked as if Forest were about to inflict just Liverpool’s second league defeat of the season, having also dispatched Slot’s men at Anfield in September.
That Liverpool fought back to clinch a precious point, secured via a 66th-minute header from Diogo Jota, is a testament to both the Reds’ character and quality. However, Tuesday night’s epic at The City Ground offered further proof — if it were needed — that there are still plenty more twists and turns to come in this title race.
If, on the eve of this Premier League season, this game had been billed as a potential title decider, few would have been inclined to take notice. After all, Forest finished last term in 17th place, just six points outside of the relegation zone.
It is for that reason September’s shock triumph at Anfield caused such a stir, with even Slot himself conceding Liverpool’s conquerors that day “do not normally end up in the top 10.” But that win has since proved to be more than a flash in the pan, with Forest having continued to impress, defying expectation to climb up to second in the table.
A victory against the league leaders on Tuesday would have seen Forest move to within three points of the top spot, and perhaps that prospect was weighing heavily on the minds of Slot’s players as they toiled on the banks of the River Trent.
Admittedly, it has not been a particularly happy new year for Liverpool. After bidding farewell to 2024 with a statement victory against strugglers West Ham United, the first two weeks of 2025 have seen cracks start to appear in the Reds’ previously impenetrable armour.
On an evening where Chelsea and Man City also drew, Arne Slot’s Liverpool avoided a ‘mini-crisis’ by fighting back to salvage a point at Nottingham Forest. Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Liverpool’s 4-0 victory over League Two side Accrington Stanley at the weekend was their first win since the turn of the year, following a pulsating draw with Manchester United in the league and a narrow defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals.
Against Forest, all the early signs seemed to point to Liverpool’s descent into a mini-crisis as a combination of poor decision-making and erratic finishing meant Slot’s side headed into the interval without having registered a single shot on target.
Liverpool did improve slightly after the break, but it wasn’t until Slot turned to his bench that his team were able to make the breakthrough. The introduction of Jota and Kostas Tsimikas, in place of Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson, proved to be a masterstroke as, just 22 seconds after the substitution was made, Liverpool were level; Jota having headed home from Tsimikas’ corner.
After that, Slot’s side appeared to recover some of the swagger that has defined much of their season to date, with only the interventions of an inspired Matz Sels in the Forest goal and some admirable last-ditch defending keeping Liverpool at bay.
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“I couldn’t have asked for more today,” Slot admitted in his post-match news conference. “I think that most people would talk really positively about the second half but if you play at this ground against this team who are in such good form, who hardly concede a chance in every single game, and have so many counter-attack threats .. we conceded only one counter-attack today in 98 minutes of football. That’s total domination.”
While those of a Forest persuasion might beg to differ with Slot’s assertion, Liverpool’s second-half display at least ensures they retain their six-point cushion at the top of the table. The league leaders no longer appear infallible but one look at the rest of Tuesday night’s results is irrefutable proof that they do not need to be.
Both Manchester City and Chelsea dropped points while Arsenal, who will face bitter rivals Tottenham on Wednesday, have also looked some way off their best in recent weeks, with striker Gabriel Jesus now having joined stricken talisman Bukayo Saka on the sidelines.
Forest, of course, remain a threat, having proved on Tuesday that they are capable of going toe-to-toe with the very best.
“I don’t think they are here because of luck,” Slot conceded. “For every team, they are difficult to play against. They have already had some difficult away games, against United, City, Arsenal, us. That shows you that they are a team that can compete in the top end of the league table.”
But while Forest and Co. will keep applying the pressure, Liverpool must simply look to keep their heads. It might not be the procession to the title that looked to be taking shape just a few weeks ago but, for now at least, Slot’s side remain firmly in the driving seat.
