This was the day Arne Slot discovered that the Premier League is not all fun and games, as Liverpool and their manager were outclassed by Nuno Espírito Santo and Nottingham ForestWinger Callum Hudson-Odoi came off the bench to inflict the Dutchman's first defeat at Anfield with a trademark goal.
Everything Nuno did worked, from his tactics to team selection and substitutions. His brave team followed their manager's instructions to the letter to maintain control. Liverpool The team held their own for the entire 90 minutes and engineered numerous counter-attacks, with Hudson-Odoi eventually finishing one off to earn the points after coming off the bench to give Forest their first win at Anfield since 1969 – 20,300 days and 27 trips had passed since then. It had been a long wait and their section of supporters celebrated it just the same.
Slot had had a very good start to the season in England, where he won his first three games without conceding a goal. He is confident in his style and his players, and he chose the same starting XI for a third consecutive game, but with a very different result. Forest came (and left) unbeaten and are gaining confidence under a manager who is able to rotate personnel and adjust tactics according to the situation.
By the time the winner came, Liverpool had already received plenty of warnings about the threat Forest posed on the counter. Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga had all squandered chances to open the scoring, but it was Hudson-Odoi who ultimately provided the perfect ending to a swift counter-attack. When the former Chelsea man receives the ball on the left flank, he has only one destination in mind. He cut inside, though Conor Bradley made it too easy for him to perform his choreographed move, before curling the ball in for the corner beyond Alisson.
Nuno's plan was to pack out the midfield, selecting five midfielders, in an attempt to nullify Liverpool in the areas they have controlled in the opening three wins. Ryan Yates was singled out as the main irritant, as he irritated most inside Anfield with his aggressive play, leading to numerous disruptions as Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister needed treatment for knocks.
A goal would have been the balm Luis Diaz needed but his shot hit the post, Diogo Jota sent a good chance to Matz Sels and Virgil van Dijk headed wide from a corner. Liverpool were creating chances but were unable to be effective in the critical moments before the break, although Trent Alexander-Arnold caused Sels some concern when he was forced to clear a corner over the bar.
Liverpool gave away an unusually low amount of the ball, with Mohamed Salah the main culprit. They had 14 shots, but only five of them were on target, and they showed no composure when it mattered most. Slot made a triple change on the hour mark, sensing that things were not going Liverpool's way, but it was Nuno's changes that had the biggest effect, as his narrow side added the width of Hudson-Odoi and Elanga to make the most of the space offered at the back.
Sels made several saves but did not push himself too hard, although he came close to gifting Liverpool a goal. The Belgian tried to flick the ball under the bar but it went through his legs. The Belgian breathed a sigh of relief when it bounced off the line, while the fans waited to see if Michael Oliver's watch vibrated, before grabbing it at the second opportunity. Forest had a bit of luck for all their effort.
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Ola Aina was superb at right-back to keep Diaz and later Cody Gakpo at bay, epitomising the work ethic and defensive guile instilled by Nuno. Forest were resolute throughout the 90 minutes and frustration grew at Anfield as Liverpool failed to get past the visitors and every misplaced pass was met with a whimper. Nothing seemed to work that day, and instead they fell blindly as Forest smothered them.
Slot will have to put his first defeat behind him as things do not get any easier, as this was the start of seven games in 22 days. Having settled in before the international break, Slot is about to learn what life as a Liverpool manager is like.
