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Liverpool were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, October 22. The result sees the Reds still languishing in seventh place with 16 points from 11 games.
The Reds entered this contest on the back of two 1-0 wins over Manchester City and West Ham United. Jurgen Klopp experimented with a change in formation in those games, deploying a modified 4-4-2 with Mohamed Salah up front.
Darwin Nunez missed out after complaining of discomfort following their game against the Hammers. Roberto Firmino started with Salah as his strike partner.
Liverpool made a strong start to the game, imposing themselves on Nottingham Forest as they pushed forward in numbers. As expected, they dominated possession, keeping 74% of the ball in the first period. They attempted five shots but only two were on target.
The Reds passed the ball around well, evidenced by some great combination play between James Milner and Harvey Elliott. Virgil van Dijk ventured forward on occasion and had a shot at goal but failed to convert. Salah and Firmino started well but were unable to create enough space to attack.
After a tightly-contested first half, Liverpool and Forest went into the break tied at 0-0.
Nottingham Forest made a dream start to the second period as they dominated proceedings immediately after the restart. Joe Gomez gave away a silly free-kick following a foul on Taiwo Awoniyi, allowing the hosts to capitalize. The forward then scored from the resulting play, making it 1-0 after 55 minutes.
Klopp was forced to make alterations to his XI as he brought Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson into the game. Steve Cooper, too, made changes as he looked to safeguard Forest's unexpected one-goal lead. Liverpool continued to dominate possession and arrived in great areas but were denied by a resolute Dean Henderson in goal.
Despite a late barrage of attempts on Nottingham Forest's goal, Liverpool failed to find an equalizer. Forest held on to secure only their second win of the season. That said, let's take a look at how the Reds' players fared.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alisson - 7/10
Alisson made a decent start to the game and made three good stops in the first half to deny Forest. He made three more saves in the second period but was unable to deny Awoniyi from scoring.
James Milner - 6.5/10
Milner was favored for the right-back spot over Trent Alexander-Arnold. He played a decent game and was subbed off shortly after the hour-mark.
Joe Gomez - 6.5/10
Joe Gomez had a decent first half and defended well. However, he made a costly error soon after the second half began which led to Nottingham Forest scoring after 55 minutes. He was also booked for the incident.
Virgil van Dijk - 7/10
Van Dijk made a decent start to the game and even came close to scoring in the first period. He missed a glorious chance in the dying embers, seeing his shot saved by the outstretched hand of Dean Henderson.
Andrew Robertson - 7/10
Robertson looked lively on the left flank and often pushed forward to support Liverpool's attack. He played three key passes, four accurate crosses and two accurate long balls.
Harvey Elliott - 7.5/10
Elliott looked sharp and determined to make an impact on the game as he started on the right side of Liverpool's midfield. He played three key passes and one accurate long ball. He also won nine of his 13 duels and completed three dribbles.
Fabinho - 6.5/10
Fabinho looked composed in the middle of the park. He played five accurate long balls and won just one of his four duels in a decent performance overall.
Curtis Jones - 6.5/10
Jones started alongside Fabinho in midfield and distributed the ball well. He completed 72 passes with 92% accuracy, including one key pass and three accurate long balls.
Fabio Carvalho - 6/10
Fabio Carvalho had a decent game but needs to work on his finishing as he missed a great chance to score from. He attempted four shots, with just one on target. He also won just three of his 12 duels.
Mohamed Salah - 6.5/10
Salah started as a striker and made some key runs behind Nottingham Forest's defense. He attempted four shots but failed to score as he hit the target just twice. He also failed to win any of his five duels.
Roberto Firmino - 6.5/10
Firmino made a decent start to the game but failed to convert his chances to score. He attempted two shots, with both off target - one of them being a clear-cut chance to score. He also won five of his nine duels.
Substitutes
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7/10
Alexander-Arnold came on in the second half and often pushed forward considering Liverpool were trailing.
Jordan Henderson - 6.5/10
Henderson was brought on shortly after the hour-mark and put in a good performance.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6.5/10
Oxlade-Chamberlain came on in the closing stages as Klopp made a last-ditch attempt to salvage something from the game.
