Former Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi was the Nottingham Forest hero as their season came to life with a famous 1-0 victory over the Reds.
Forest started the day rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, but a second-half strike from Awoniyi was enough to earn them a famous win. It could have been more for Forest without the heroics of Alisson Becker, with an out of sorts Mohamed Salah unable to carry Liverpool ’s much-changed attacking setup.
And when they needed a stop from Dean Henderson, Forest got it. The Manchester United loanee made a pair of close-range blocks to deny Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk.
The result lifts Forest into 19th and above local rivals Leicester City. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s recent resurgence was halted as their early-season inconsistencies reared their head again. Here are the talking points from a raucous City Ground.
Klopp’s approval backfires
Awoniyi spent six years at Anfield, but failed to make a single competitive appearance in that time. That was despite Klopp being a notable admirer of the forward.
The Liverpool boss told him that after an impressive loan spell in Union Berlin, it was the right step for his career to go there permanently. A year later, Awoniyi was back in English football with Forest.
He has yet to truly deliver this season, but it was written in the stars that his best performance in the Garibaldi would come against his former side. He gave Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez a torrid afternoon and it was a case of right place, right time for his goal.
Awoniyi opted to not celebrate his goal in front of the bouncing Trent End, but few would have forgiven him a little smile.
One injury too many for battered and bruised Reds
Jurgen Klopp is never shy when it comes to criticising the unrelenting nature of top-flight football. This was Liverpool’s seventh game in three weeks and the impact of the fixture pile-up has been clear to see.
The Reds were forced to line-up without any of Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, with all four regulars nursing injuries of differing severity. That meant youngsters Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott were both thrown in from the start.
And although every side up and down the country is struggling with injuries, the importance of those not available was particularly difficult for Liverpool. It doesn't get any easier either, they still have six more games before the season breaks on November 12.
Thiago’s importance clear
For all of the injuries in attacking areas, the absence of Thiago cannot be overstated. In a first half that was desperately bereft of quality, the Spaniard was sorely missed.
An ear infection kept Thiago out of the side and his inability to remain available for selection consistently remains a concern. When on his game there are few Premier League midfielders that can match his talents and it’s very difficult to replace him.
Fabinho also appears significantly less effective when he is without his usual partner. Deciding to leave Jordan Henderson on the bench was a surprise and they lacked his composure for the first hour until he was summoned.
Salah concerns
When Salah went down off the ball there was genuine concern from all associated with Liverpool. And when replays showed he had gone down without noticeable contact, those worries will have only heightened.
Ultimately, the knock wasn’t a serious one and he was able to continue - but it was a frustrating afternoon for the Egyptian superstar. Deployed as one of two central strikers, Salah was unable to influence the game in the way he so often does. Salah has always done his best work from the right-hand side and there looked plenty of scope to trouble Forest in those areas.
Throughout the early portion of the season, Klopp has been willing to tweak the tactical set-up of his side, believing they may have been somewhat figured out. Lining up Salah as a centre forward felt like one tweak too many.
A huge result for Forest
Their play-off final victory may have come all the way back in May, but this felt like the day they finally became a Premier League team again. It was a summer of wholesale changes on the bank of the River Trent, with an entire squad coming through the doors in the transfer window.
Cooper was touted as a potential managerial casualty after their poor start, but the Forest hierarchy backed their man and did it for afternoons like this. There is still plenty of work to do if the two-time European champions are to beat the drop, but if they do, this will go down as a seminal day in their season.
