Liverpool’s hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title took a hit on Tuesday evening as they were held to a 1-1 draw by an in-form Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
Forest made a dream start, with Chris Wood capitalizing on a swift counter-attack to fire past Alisson after just eight minutes, punishing Liverpool’s defensive lapse. The home side’s impressive defensive organization, which had kept them unbeaten since mid-December, frustrated Liverpool, who failed to register a single shot on target in the first half.
The Reds’ struggles continued early in the second half until the introductions of Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota in the 65th minute changed the dynamic. Tsimikas’ first touch delivered a perfect corner, and Jota, just 22 seconds after coming on, headed in the equalizer.
Jota nearly put Liverpool ahead ten minutes later, but Matz Sels produced a sensational point-blank save to deny him. The Belgian goalkeeper was instrumental in Forest’s resistance, making crucial saves to keep out efforts from Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah, and Cody Gakpo in the final minutes. Salah even saw a late attempt cleared off the line by Ola Aina.
Despite Liverpool’s late pressure, Forest’s resolute defense held firm to secure a hard-fought point, leaving the Reds to rue their second consecutive Premier League setback.
