For the second straight match, Diogo Jota netted a brace and Mohamed Salah added the game-winner in the 70th minute as Liverpool outlasted Nottingham Forest 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at Anfield. Former Red Neco Williams scored for the visitors as did Morgan Gibbs- White in a second half that saw an explosion of five combined goals after a scoreless opening 45 minutes.
First Half
Cody Gakpo put a shot wide in the 5th minute. Ibrahima Konaté also just missed a header wide as the Reds looked dangerous inside the first 10 minutes. Nottingham Forest forced Alisson into a save in the 18th minute.
After a long spell of possession, Virgil van Dijk put a header on frame and Gakpo forced a save on the ensuing corner as former Red Neco Williams cleared the ball off the line. Chances kept coming for Liverpool as Diogo Jota just missed a header in the 39th minute. Desperate defending by Forest kept Liverpool at bay for the rest of the half as the teams entered the locker room at 0-0.
Second Half
That stalemate did not last long as Liverpool struck in the 47th minute. After a corner was played into the box where Fabinho was able to pop the ball onto Jota's head for the finish. Williams came back to haunt his former club with a strike in the 51st minute that took off of Andrew Robertson and in the back of the net.
Jota restored the Liverpool lead in the 55th. Robertson played the ball to him in the box and when the defence backed off, he turned and fired the ball in the back of the net.
Nottingham Forest levelled again in the 67th when Morgan Gibbs-White scored off a long throw-in. The match continued to swing back and forth as Salah got on the scoresheet in the 70th minute. Trent Alexander-Arnold continued his good play, placing a free kick at the feet of the Egyptian King who provided a clinical finish. After a VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand, giving the Reds a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.
Even so, Liverpool had to get key defensive contributions from James Milner and a huge save from Alisson in the 88th minute to secure the 3 points.
Jota On Fire
After not scoring in his previous 32 matches, it is safe to say that Diogo Jota has found his form. He has scored 4 goals in the last two matches and nearly had a 5th if not for a fingertip save from the Nottingham Forest keeper, the legendary and vibrant Keylor Navas.
“I'm really, really happy to be scoring again,” Jota said after the match. “The first one of the season took a long time to go in, but we all know how that works. I'm just glad now I can help the team by being on the scoresheet.”
Climbing The List
When Mohamed Salah scored the game-winner in the 70th minute, he tied Robbie Fowler for 6th all-time on the Reds scoring list with 183 goals in just 298. Fowler played in 369 matches for Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp also notched his 100th victory at Anfield in 144 home games, the third-fastest manager in club history to reach 100 wins.
Climbing The Table
With the win, Liverpool jump to 7th on the table (for now) with 50 points, just outside the Top 5 needed for European competition next season. They sit 3 points behind Spurs for the 5th spot (Europa qualification) and will host Tottenham on April 30th at Anfield. They are still a game behind Aston Villa with a point difference. They are, however, 2 games behind and 1 point ahead of 8th Brighton.
LFC Globe Verdict
That was fun and nerve-wracking at the same time. The way the first half played out, I thought Liverpool would just need one goal and that would have been enough to earn the victory. Turns out, they needed 3 goals. Every time Liverpool would score, Nottingham Forest would answer. Even when Salah put the Reds up for good, there were some tense moments until the final whistle blew.
Man Of The Match
Without question, the Man Of The Match is Diogo Joto. His goals were absolutely beautiful and came at the right time for the Reds. Over the last two matches, he has developed into yet another scoring threat for Klopp and even though there are only 5 games left in the season, if Jota keeps producing, Liverpool will be a tough team to beat.
What's Next
Liverpool hits the road to take on West Ham United. Kickoff is set for 19:45 BST.
Goals
Liverpool
- Diogo Jota 47'
- Diogo Jota 55'
- Mohamed Salah 70'
Forest
- Neco Williams 51'
- Morgan Gibbs-White 67'
Substitutions
Liverpool
- Thiago for Fabinho 60'
- Darwin Núñez for Cody Gakpo 60'
- Luis Díaz for Diogo Jota 81'
- James Milner for Curtis Jones 81'
Forest
- Joe Worrall for Scott McKenna 30'
- Brennan Johnson for Remo Freuler 76'
- Andre Ayew for Renan Lodi 87'
- Sam Surridge for Taiwo Awoniyi 87'
- Emmanuel Dennis for Felipe 87'
