Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool: Hosts' heroics undone by Slot's super sub on night of pure theatre

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sat in his box at the City Ground, a large television screen in front of him showing a thrilling Premier League match. Whether Marinakis’ gaze was fixed on the television screen or the action on the pitch, he was witnessing the realization of his ambition: Forest were competing against a top team, then-Premier League leaders Liverpool, and displaying formidable competitiveness.

It was a night of high drama, with Forest fans in full voice, creating a fiery atmosphere. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team showcased excellent defensive capabilities. However, two inspired substitutions by Liverpool manager Arne Slot nearly turned defeat into victory. Ultimately, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving Liverpool six points ahead of Forest with a game in hand, as the Premier League dark horse proved they fully deserved their high place in the standings.

For 66 minutes, Forest looked set to inflict another blow on Liverpool, similar to their victory at Anfield in September, which remains Slot’s team’s only league loss this season. The first half was classic Forest, and classic Nuno. In the eighth minute, Anthony Elanga cleverly threaded a pass past Virgil van Dijk to find the in-form striker Chris Wood, who calmly slotted the ball home for his 13th goal of the season.

Central to Forest’s immense effort was goalkeeper Matz Sels, who was outstanding during Liverpool’s late onslaught, along with the defensive stalwarts Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic. If there’s a more formidable center-back pairing in the Premier League, it would be a fearsome sight. Both Murillo and Milenkovic are high-caliber players with a steely determination and a “they shall not pass” defensive attitude, providing a platform for Forest’s counter-attacking tactics, with Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the flanks and Wood through the middle.

Brazilian player Murillo completed 18 clearances against Liverpool, the most by any player in a single Premier League match this season. As a team, Forest made 59 clearances, the second-most by any team in a Premier League game, behind Leicester City’s 63 against Arsenal in September. Milenkovic also made 12 clearances, as Forest made it a frustrating night for Liverpool until Diogo Jota made his mark.

Remarkably, these two players were signed for relatively low transfer fees, totaling £27 million. Murillo, 22, joined from Corinthians in August 2023 for £15 million, while Milenkovic arrived from Fiorentina in July 2024 for £12 million. Goalkeeper Sels also represents a low-cost acquisition, joining from Strasbourg for just £5 million in February. He was another cornerstone for Forest, making five saves, including two crucial blocks from Jota and a fine stop from Mohamed Salah, helping the home side secure a draw.

Liverpool may have enjoyed nearly 71% possession, but this is exactly how Forest are set up, and under manager Nuno’s guidance, they were able to frustrate arguably the strongest team in Europe, until more firepower was introduced from the bench. Slot was clearly frustrated with Forest’s solid defensive structure, constantly pointing to his watch and complaining about time-wasting, but his cool head was enough to make a game-changing double substitution.

In the 66th minute, he replaced the underperforming Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konate with Jota and Kostas Tsimikas, breaking the usual pattern of making changes after a corner. Just 22 seconds later, Tsimikas’s set-piece delivery was headed in by Jota, leveling the score for Liverpool. It was Jota’s first touch, and the fastest goal by a Liverpool substitute in the Premier League since records began in 2006-07.

Slot downplayed any notion of tactical mastery, saying, “If it was open play, people might say it was tactical mastery, but it was a set-piece, so I don’t think I deserve any praise.” He added, “The substitution was a case of us bringing on an attacking player for a defender, and it immediately led to a goal, so you could say it was luck.”

Slot masked his disappointment with a second consecutive league draw, saying, “In two of the three games since the New Year, most people agree that we should have got more than we did. The only pundit who disagreed was against Man United, but when you look at the chances created by both sides, we should have got more than 2-2. It’s too many times now that we should have got more than we did, and that’s something we have to adjust as soon as possible.” He also stated, “Our fans, our players, and I, we all want to win the league, but we want the fans to come to our games and enjoy what they see.”

No one—not even the notoriously hard-to-please Marinakis—could have been disappointed after witnessing such an enthralling Premier League encounter.