- Liverpool leads Premier League
- Núñez scores late winner
- Forest battles relegation
In reality, this game did not truly come to life until the second-half stoppage time. Bedlam ensued 36 seconds after the eight minutes of added time had expired. Arriving at the hour, Darwin Núñez leapt to meet Alexis Mac Allister’s dinked cross and produced precisely the required force to slam a header inside a post. This goal was instrumental in Liverpool’s quest to secure the Premier League championship. Adrián mobbed Jürgen Klopp, while the remainder of Liverpool’s substitutes inundated the pitch.
A dire conclusion to a tumultuous denouement for Nottingham Forest, who were in dire straits for a crucial point in their battle to avoid relegation, was profoundly disheartening. A few seconds after dismissing Forest’s first-team coach Steven Reid, referee Paul Tierney descended the tunnel to an oncoming wall of booing from the irate home crowd. This marked the blustery conclusion of the match.
Evangelos Marinakis, the proprietor of Forest, was among those pitchside in disbelief shortly after the final whistle.
It appeared for an extended period of time, culminating in Klopp’s departure to Liverpool, that this particular venue would be among the few he could not regard as a conducive hunting ground. Forest captain Ryan Yates, who collapsed to his knees at the final whistle, blocked Núñez in the 90th minute, and Matz Sels performed admirably in the 95th minute to prevent Murillo’s clearance from entering the net at a corner.
Due to Manchester City’s absence in the derby until Sunday, Liverpool were able to extend their lead to four points late on and move ahead of the pack. Liverpool last won in this division on this pitch in 1984, with goals from Ian Rush and Ronnie Whelan.
High Stakes and Familiar Faces
With the teams emerging from the tunnel to the sound of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” and Jurgen Klopp giving Nuno Espírito Santo a high-five from the touchline, the urgency of the situation—this was each team’s seventh match in the previous 27 days—became acutely apparent. It’s been three days since both teams met in the FA Cup, and it’s been six days since Liverpool won the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
It was also peculiar to observe Liverpool’s team bus reverse into position at the City Ground in anticipation of a 3 o’clock kick-off amidst much commotion; this was only their third such occasion of the season, which is partially attributable to their Europa League success, with a first-leg matchup against Sparta Prague in the round of 16 scheduled for Thursday.
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Four players returned to the starting lineup following Klopp’s four changes from the squad that advanced to the FA Cup quarterfinals against Southampton in midweek: Ibrahima Konaté, Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, and Luis Díaz. Bobby Clark made his Premier League debut as part of a three-man midfield with Joe Gomez and Mac Allister. Klopp included two familiar faces in the Forest XI: Neco Williams, a player who was a fixture at Anfield for fifteen years, and Divock Origi, an eternal Liverpool cult hero due to his goals en route to the club’s 2019 Champions League title. Another substitute later entered the game: Taiwo Awoniyi, who scored the lone goal in this meeting from the previous season.
Early Tensions and Crucial Saves
Williams and Origi collaborated in the moments following the commencement of play; it was the former who assisted Origi, enticing Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk to concede an early corner kick. Origi operated off the right flank for Forest and, five minutes after deflecting off the challenges of Gomez and Robertson and causing the game’s first shot to evade, assisted Anthony Elanga on goal, but Caoimhin Kelleher prevented the shot. Van Dijk was narrowly beaten in a footrace by Elanga, but a vigilant Kelleher saved with his left foot, and although Konaté and Van Dijk looked to assistant referee Richard West along the line for an offside flag against Elanga, such redemption never materialised.
Prior to that, Liverpool’s most commendable endeavour was a Díaz shot which deflected into the side netting after deflecting off the right leg of Forest defender Joe Worrall. Murillo, the centre-back partner of Worrall, also prevented Díaz from inserting the ball in from within the six-yard box with an outstanding block.
Although the performance fell short of a vintage Liverpool exhibition, it was clear that Forest were anticipating a response from the visitors. Following the penalty spot miss by Díaz, Nicolás Dominguez averted Conor Bradley’s cross from striking at his feet, and Worrall deflected a Robertson effort away from goal. Wataru Endo and Núñez subsequently entered from the bench. On the left channel, Núñez extended his legs with his initial touches, but Worrall pursued him all the way to the goal line before he missed the side netting with a shot. Núñez, nonetheless, possessed the ultimate authority.
