Liverpool haven’t made it easy for themselves this season, and in their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest at Anfield this afternoon, they continued to make hard work of their opponents, with the attackers saving the day once again.
The Reds move into seventh following their 3-2 victory over their relegation-threatened opponents and are now just six points behind Newcastle United in fourth ahead of the Magpies’ clash with Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow, keeping their outside chances of securing Champions League football next season alive.
Despite having 81% possession, more shots on target (6 v 5), more big chances created (5 v 1) and over 400 more accurate passes completed (559 v 76), Liverpool allowed Steve Cooper’s side to take their minimal chances, but ultimately their quality in the final third was too much for Forest.
The hosts started slow and in the first half were unable to find any real opportunities to break the stalemate despite completely dominating the ball, but in the latter 45 minutes, both teams were finally hungry to add goals to their tally.
Diogo Jota quickly picked up where he left off at Elland Road with a fantastic strike converted in the first few minutes of the second half, however, former Liverpool right-back Neco Williams came to his old stomping ground with a point to prove, delivering his team an equaliser just four minutes later.
The Portuguese winger quickly responded with a second, only for it to be cancelled out by Morgan Gibbs-White’s phenomenal finish in the 67th minute, leaving it to Liverpool’s inevitable goal machine Mohamed Salah to secure the winning goal.
Indeed, Jota has finally found his shooting boots after a long drought without a goal, but once again it was Trent Alexander-Arnold who stole the show in his adapted role, with the star absolutely running riot at Anfield.
How did Trent Alexander-Arnold get on vs Nottingham Forest?
The full-back has been under a lot of scrutiny for his defensive performances this season alongside his teammates in the backline, however, Klopp has seemingly found the key that unlocks the 24-year-old’s full potential on the pitch.
Alexander-Arnold has orchestrated absolute chaos for his opponents ever since the second half against Arsenal a fortnight ago and has become an absolute force of nature in the attacking third.
Over his 90-minute performance today, the talented ace – hailed a “genius” by journalist Neil Jones – had 94 touches of the ball, completed 44 accurate passes, offered four key passes and created two big chances, as well as providing the assist for Salah’s 70th-minute winner.
The Anfield faithful will be thrilled with the performances from Alexander-Arnold in his newly discovered role and will surely be hoping it will continue into next season – even with the acquisition of new additions in midfield, as the sky looks to be the limit for the right-back if he can continue to thrive.