The Reds facing crisis as the visitors storm home ground for the second time with a convincing win

Nottingham Forest's victory at Anfield in the prior year appeared a one-off in an usually dominant top-flight performances at Anfield for the hosts. A second successive win now, a much more emphatic success under their manager, was a clear sign of the issues afflicting the declining former winners.

The visitors' exemplary showing

The team was exemplary as they recorded their largest victory at Liverpool's home. Strikes from the Brazilian, excellent at both ends of the field, Nicolò Savona and the exceptional the playmaker spurred a well-earned win for a Forest side that also kept a initial shutout in 20 top-flight matches.

The home side's woes

The hosts, in comparison, were a disorganized as they experienced an eighth setback in eleven games to drop into the lower half of the table. Weak at set pieces, again, impotent in offense, again, with the striker replaced after sixty-eight quiet period, and defensively weak, they failed in each phase to yield to a second successive 3-0 defeat.

Early control without result

For half an hour the Reds held the advantage, the infrequent attack from Morgan Gibbs-White apart, but the inability to convert chances into the actual outcome of scores proved costly. Mac Allister was presented with an initial chance from Cody Gakpo's surge into the area only for Anderson to produce a brilliant line save with his skull. The Liverpool midfielder had a follow-up attempt stopped soon after while impressive footwork from the winger created another near-post opening for the defender. A Forest defender just succeeded to put off the back into blazing over.

Dead-ball weakness afflicts again

The manager has repeatedly bemoaned Liverpool's vulnerability to transitions and dead balls in the current campaign. He was given further evidence for frustration when Forest took the lead through a combination of the both aspects.

Sean Dyche was aghast after the forward failed to release Nicolás Domínguez in space on the counter and presented Konaté the opening to intervene. The resulting corner caused jubilant scenes in the away team's area, however, when Elliot Anderson's delivery deflected off the captain to Murillo and the central defender fired an unstoppable strike from inside the box into the far corner. It brought reminders of the defender's disallowed finish against the champions in the away team's opener with Ndoye located in an illegal position in front of Liverpool's returning goalkeeper the goalie.

Video Assistant Referee rulings and debate

Unsurprisingly, the Liverpool captain was quick to point out the parallels to the match official, Andrew Madley. But unlike the full-back at the Manchester, Ndoye made no apparent gesture in front of the goalkeeper and the goal remained. The Premier League clarified: "The on-field decision of goal was reviewed and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that the player was away from the view of Alisson and avoided an action that affected an opponent."

The home side were reprieved by the match officials and the system a short time later when Jesus believed he had added to Nottingham Forest's advantage.

Ibrahima Konaté, who endured a terrible afternoon, made an weak effort to remove an Ibrahim Sangaré's delivery and turned the object against the Forest striker, who controlled before finding the lower corner of the goalkeeper's posts. Andrew Madley, in communication with his linesman, disallowed the effort for a handball that several footage struggled to verify or disprove. League officials said: "The ruling of no goal was assessed and confirmed by VAR – with it judged that Igor Jesus inadvertently touched the object before scoring."

Second goal widens cushion

That was the end of the let-off. Moments of the resumption Mac Allister was unable to cut out a ball towards the defender inside the home 18-yard box. Williams spun away from his opponent and laid the visitors' second on a platter for teammate wing-back Nicolò Savona, who found Alisson's upper corner with a simple placed shot.

Tactical changes fail

Arne Slot made changes, substituting Ibrahima Konaté with Ekitiké after the 55th minute and using the France forward with Isak. This change persisted all of less than a quarter-hour before the striker was substituted following a further ineffective showing. Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha were also introduced to the hosts' offense but carelessness in ball control and solid visitors' defense kept the hosts at arm's length.

Concluding goal confirms the result

Nottingham Forest displayed the precision and incisiveness that Liverpool were without in the attacking phase to seal the match {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively