Liverpool closed the gap on the Premier League (PL) top-four to nine points after a thrilling 3-2 victory against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest, extending their dominant home record in head-to-head matchups to 26 matches without defeat (W19, D7).
Following a morale-boosting win over Leeds United, Liverpool aimed to continue their positive form against a struggling Forest side winless in their last 10 league matches. The hosts dominated the first half, with Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk both coming close to scoring, but Diogo Jota’s missed header kept the score level going into halftime.
Liverpool wasted no time in the second half, taking the lead within two minutes through Jota’s close-range finish from Fabinho’s header. However, Forest quickly equalized with a deflected effort from former Liverpool player Neco Williams. Jota restored Liverpool’s lead with a clinical strike from Andrew Robertson’s clever free-kick, but the goals didn’t stop there. Morgan Gibbs-White leveled the scores again before Mohamed Salah netted his 16th PL goal of the season, putting Liverpool ahead going into the final 15 minutes.
Despite losing to Forest in the reverse fixture, Liverpool persevered through the final stages of the match. Forest nearly snatched a late equalizer when Brennan Johnson hit the bar, but the Reds held on for a hard-fought victory and moved within nine points of fourth-place Manchester United.
Man of the Match – #11 Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
