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Liverpool registered a narrow 3-2 victory against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, April 22. Second-half goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah sealed the much-needed three points despite the visitors equalizing the score twice through Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White.
The visitors' backline was resilient and did not give away cheap chances which forced the Reds forwards to work hard to test Keylor Navas. The Costa Rican goalkeeper was beaten on one occasion in the first half, but a brilliant goalline clearance from Neco Williams denied Liverpool the opening goal.
Diogo Jota missed a sitter during the 38th minute when he failed to glance the ball from close range.
However, the second half promised nothing but goals as both defenses went for a toss. The Reds opened their scoring when Diogo Jota headed the ball just a minute later after the second-half kick-off.
The visitors broke away on the counterattack and drew level when former Liverpool right-back Neco Williams' strike took a deflection off Andy Robertson to beat the hapless Alisson Becker (51').
Diogo Jota, who broke his goal-scoring hoodoo last week, added yet another one during the 55th minute. He controlled the long ball to perfection before swinging his left foot to place the ball in the bottom left-hand corner. The Portuguese was presented with another chance, but his header was brilliantly tipped over the crossbar by Keylor Navas.
Forest did not run away and scored their second equalizer of the game. Morgan Gibbs-White's strike took a couple of deflections before finding its way into the bottom right-hand corner during the 67th minute.
Despite Nottingham Forest's high line, Mohamed Salah was at the end of a delicious free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold to drive Jurgen Klopp's side into a much-deserved lead (70').
Despite the Welsh international's best efforts, substitute Brennan Johnson's delicious chip rattled against the crossbar during the 77th minute. The Reds were organized for the rest of the game to take a positive step towards a highly unlikely Champions League qualification.
We shall look at player ratings from Liverpool's 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson Becker - 7/10: Alisson would have caught both had there been no deflections for both goals. His ability to claim the ball in the air and initiate the counterattack with his fantastic distribution allowed the Reds to counterattack on numerous occasions.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8/10: Trent, who operated as an inverted full-back, produced yet another fantastic display. The right-back created plenty of chances through set-pieces and remained a threat throughout the game.
Ibrahima Konate - 5/10: Ibrahima Konate struggled against Taiwo Awoniyi and lost most of his duels. He looked shaky and did not have his best game.
Virgil Van Dijk - 7/10: Virgil Van Dijk nearly scored a header in the first half, but his aerial command in the box decreased when Nottingham took long throws to torment Liverpool's backline. He installed a calm atmosphere at the back and covered the leftover spaces.
Andy Robertson - 6/10: Although he was not tested much defensively, his crossing and set-piece have gone down by a notch. The Scot needs to pick up his form to carry Liverpool into the top 4.
Fabinho - 7.5/10: Fabinho produced defensive solidity and did not allow Nottingham to break away on counter-attacks until he was subbed off at the stroke of an hour. As soon as he was brought off, Liverpool lost the midfield battle.
Jordan Henderson - 4/10: Jordan Henderson occupied the attacking position of right-wing, but never looked threatening. He was unable to complete simple passes and struggled throughout the game.
Curtis Jones - 7/10: Curtis Jones penetrated through the Nottingham midfield with his ball-carrying ability. However, he was defensively susceptible at times. But the academy graduate is finally getting into the groove after suffering injuries over the last two seasons.
Mohamed Salah - 8/10: Mohamed Salah scored the much-needed winner for Liverpool to take his goal tally to 37 across all competitions this season. The Egyptian did not give a breather to Lodi and kept on running the channel through the right wing.
Diogo Jota - 9.5/10: The Portuguese international made up for a sitter with two second-half goals. His second goal, though, was exquisite. His goal-scoring form will be a huge boost to Liverpool's top 4 aspirations.
Cody Gakpo - 6.5/10: Cody Gakpo carried the ball well, but failed to get into goalscoring positions. He was eventually taken off at the 60th-minute mark.
Substitutes:
Thiago Alcantara - 5.5/10: Uncharacteristic of his ability, Thiago gave away cheap possession after coming on for Fabinho. He was unable to match the intensity of the game.
Luis Diaz - 7/10: Luis Diaz looked lively through the left wing after coming on. He took on players and looked confident after coming back from a long injury layoff.
Darwin Nunez - 6/10: Darwin Nunez had a cameo to forget. He could not find his feet after coming on.
James Milner - N/A: Milner came on later to see off the game.
