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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Trent Alexander-Arnold gets last laugh as bizarre moment unfolds during Liverpool game

Liverpool made it four games unbeaten in the Premier League with a nervy 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White cancelled out two goals from Diogo Jota at Anfield before Mohamed Salah struck the decisive winner in a match that was hard fought right to the final whistle.

But you knew all of that, of course. What you might have missed, however, were a series of interesting subplots at Anfield on Saturday afternoon...

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A busy day for former Red

It was a memorable day for Neco Williams, even if the result didn't quite go for the former Liverpool defender.

The Wales international traded Anfield for the City Ground in a £17m summer switch and was heavily involved throughout on his return to the ground where he made his Premier League debut.

His goal helped make it 1-1 on the day and his general performance saw him serenaded by the away end with a couple of ditties aimed at needling both the home ends and Trent Alexander-Arnold, in particular.

"You're just a s*** Neco Williams!" claimed the Forest end at one point during the game as Alexander-Arnold tried to carve open the visiting defence. "Oh Neco Williams, he left 'cause you're s***!" was another after the right-back had even things up in the second half.

The player himself was rather more respectful to his former club, refusing to celebrate the goal before holding a long chat with his ex-manager Jurgen Klopp in the tunnel, post match, which centred, among other things, around how he was finding his new surroundings in the city of Nottingham.

Williams was later greeted by the man who helped negotiate his exit to Forest in Liverpool's sporting director Julian Ward as he chatted to former team-mate Harvey Elliott in the Anfield mixed zone. A busy day, indeed.

Kashmir

As the players headed out for the second half, they returned to the pitch to the sound of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, as is customary at Anfield.

Only this time, someone forgot to turn the music off as the whistle sounded, leading to the slightly surreal prospect of Premier League football being played out to the sound of the 1975 release.

It added a humorous yet bizarre feel to things as Liverpool briefly tried to break down the Forest defence to the backdrop of the dramatic rock hit from nearly 40 years ago. Mercifully it didn't last long before the song was cut off.

Forest fans enjoy their day out

Having not visited Anfield since October 1998, Nottingham Forest's travelling contingent were determined to enjoy their day, regardless of what happened on the pitch.

Morgan Gibbs-White's strike to make it 2-2 was the catalyst for those on the Anfield Road to poke fun at Liverpool in a self-deprecating manner.

Having scored just five times in 15 away games before their trip to L4 - a record that was the worst in all four leagues - Forest supporters took aim: "How s*** must you be!? We've scored two away."

Full marks for creativity but it was those on the Kop who had the last laugh thanks to Salah's winner, assisted by Alexander-Arnold.

Diaz fires up the crowd

As Liverpool tried to kill the game in the closing seconds, it was left to substitute Luis Diaz to lead the way.

On his first appearance at Anfield in over six months, the Colombian's cameo was a lively one and it was him who did the most to keep the ball away from where Forest wanted it in the closing seconds as he carried it from the corner flag towards the edge of the box and back again before he was eventually fouled.

After rising to his feet with a few minutes left on the clock, Diaz could be seen visibly attempting to fire up the Anfield crowd, which they instantly responded to to help see the game out.

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