Nottingham Forest earned a deserved 3-0 win at Anfield, while Liverpool suffered a sixth defeat in their last seven Premier League games, but not without controversy.
Two weeks after VAR intervened to invalidate Virgil van Dijk’s equalizer against Manchester City, which he had scored in similar circumstances, the technique failed when Murillo plucked past Alisson from a corner kick, leaving Dan Ndoye in an offside position.
The Premier League Match Center announced that even though Ndoye was standing right in front of Alisson, “Ndoye was out of Alisson’s field of vision.” Forest could and probably should have taken a two-goal lead when Igor Jesus volleyed into the far corner moments later, but on-field referee Andy Madrid spotted a controversial handball and the decision was approved by VAR.
“I’m surprised this was eliminated,” Michael Dawson said on Saturday’s Soccer Show.
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Soccer Saturday team reacts to Igor Jesus’ canceled goal against Liverpool.
Liverpool appeared to have survived the scare, but things got worse 39 seconds into the second half, with the only point of contention being poor defending. Neco Williams leapfrogged some half-hearted challenges and Nicolo Savona scored to make it 2-0.
For the visitors, Morgan Gibbs-White added a third goal, Omari Hutchinson scored brilliantly and Andy Robertson ghosted as if he wasn’t even there. The result saw the reigning champions drop to the bottom half of the table, while Forest, under new manager Sean Dyche, have won back-to-back games and lifted themselves out of the relegation zone.
Liverpool have never lost consecutive games by more than three goals since 1965 under Bill Shankly.
Liverpool sink to rock bottom
Liverpool are in turmoil after their sixth loss of the Premier League season
Analysis by Laura Hunter at Anfield:
While Murillo was undoubtedly the star of the show at both ends of the pitch, Arne Slott’s biggest concern will be the unsung stars of his show. Liverpool’s biggest players have gone missing.
Mohamed Salah got off to a strong start, but his form quickly deteriorated. Federico Chiesa produced more xG values than him and played 68 minutes less. Alexander Isaac never existed. By the 55th minute he was hooked, he had lost all seven duels he fought.
Alexis Mac Allister fumbled the only big chance Liverpool created before Forest took the lead. This is a new record, especially at Anfield. How can a team with a 74 percent share of possession allow enough chances to score three goals? They finished the game with two midfielders playing past the defensive line – perhaps that’s why.
Set-pieces were also a problem, conceding nine goals, the same as last season.
The crisis has turned into a catastrophe and shows no signs of abating. Slots need a comprehensive review of their failures and a plan to stem the tide. Before this quickly devolved into the worst title defense attempt in Premier League history.
Van Dijk: ‘You have to look in the mirror’
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk reflected on the disappointing 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said:
“I’m nervous after conceding a goal. You could tell we were trying to rush things, trying to get an equalizer as soon as possible. We’re just at a very difficult moment and we have to get out of this situation. I’d rather talk it out in the dressing room than talk to you all.”
“We have to take responsibility. Football is a team game. We have to digest this, accept it and try harder. As I have said many times this season, things have not gone well, but we have to keep moving forward.”
“From my perspective, the atmosphere is very bad. I have to look in the mirror.”
Slots assumes responsibility for the execution of the Baron
Liverpool manager Arne Slott:
“Losing 3-0 at home is a very bad result. If you look at the first 30 minutes, it was unexpected. I haven’t seen us create that many all season, but we were able to create a lot of chances. If you create a lot of chances and then every time you concede one you score against them, it’s a very difficult cocktail to drink.”
“Whether we win or lose, it’s up to me. We were a dominant team, but recently we were always missing chances and conceding goals.
“Of course, there are solutions because we have quality players. I take responsibility for the loss now. I can’t think of a good enough excuse for a result like this. It’s far from good enough and the responsibility for that is mine.”
Regarding the controversial opening goal, Slott said: “After the game, people say he was in an offside position. We have to recover from that. When you’re losing 3-0, no one wants to hear me talk about the referee’s decision. But it shows how a goal can change the game.”
Daiche is happy with his victory in a “different way”
Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche:
“I spoke frankly when I first came here. The players have tried to adjust under three different managers in quick succession. Today was a solid indicator for the first team. We should enjoy the win at Anfield, but we have to go again.”
“It doesn’t solve everything, but it’s a good, strong marker. We changed our tactical style a lot. We didn’t faint, forget it. We went long because they were going to squeeze the life out of us.”
“We know we have players who can play good football, but today we had to mix it up tactically. We managed to find our footing and then we scored. Our form and fundamentals were really good after that. It’s a different way to win, but it’s still a way.”
“How do you win a soccer game without the ball? That’s what we’ve been talking about. I’m very happy with it. The players executed that plan really well.”
