Nottingham Forest produced a clinical performance to defeat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, condemning the defending champions to their sixth Premier League loss in seven games. Goals from Murillo, Nicolo Savona, and Morgan Gibbs-White secured Forest’s biggest-ever win at the venue and their first back-to-back league victories at Anfield in 62 years.
The result sees Arne Slot’s side drop to a provisional 11th in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, while Forest climb out of the relegation zone to 16th under new manager Sean Dyche.
Forest opened the scoring in the 33rd minute when Murillo fired home following a corner that deflected off Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool protested that an offside Dan Ndoye obstructed goalkeeper Alisson’s view, similar to a disallowed goal against Manchester City weeks earlier, but the Premier League confirmed the goal stood as Ndoye did not impact the opponent.
Forest had a second goal by Igor Jesus ruled out for handball shortly after, but they doubled their lead just 39 seconds into the second half. Former Liverpool defender Neco Williams set up Savona, who finished calmly into the top corner.
Liverpool’s struggles were compounded by a disjointed display, particularly from record signing Alexander Isak, who was largely anonymous before being substituted in the 67th minute. Slot attempted to chase the game by introducing Hugo Ekitike and switching to a four-man attack, but the changes failed to spark a revival.
Forest sealed the win in the 78th minute when Alisson parried a shot from substitute Omari Hutchinson into the path of Gibbs-White, who swept the ball into the net, prompting many home fans to leave early.
After the match, Slot acknowledged his team's form and took responsibility for the result. "Losing 3-0 at home is a very, very bad result," he said. "It’s a difficult cocktail to drink if you create a lot of chances and then every time you concede one, the opposition score. I’m responsible for the current losses. I can never come up with enough excuses for us to have the results we have."
Skipper Virgil Van Dijk, reiterated the concerns around the atmosphere within the squad, stating, "The atmosphere, in my eyes, is very bad. We need to look in the mirror."
Conversely, Sean Dyche praised his team’s tactical execution and resilience. "It’s a solid marker against a top side today. It’s to be enjoyed, a win at Anfield," Dyche remarked. He highlighted the shift in strategy, opting for a more direct approach to counter Liverpool’s press. "We went long because they were going to press the life out of us. Our shape and basics were really good. The players have delivered the plan really well."