Forest expose Liverpool's vulnerabilities with 3-0 win at Anfield

What went wrong at Liverpool?

Nottingham Forest produced a measured, hard-working performance to beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, extending a troubling run for the defending champions who have now lost six of their past seven league games.

The result underscored systemic issues in Liverpool's game plan, especially from set-pieces and the way they defend space in and around the box.

Disorganized defending from corners

Forest opened the scoring by exploiting Liverpool's vulnerability to corners. Excluding penalties, Liverpool have conceded nine league goals from set-pieces this season — the same total as last season's full campaign.

For the first goal, Liverpool crowded the six-yard box, while Forest kept a lean presence, with one player applying light pressure on Alisson and another challenging Virgil van Dijk. In the central melee, a 4v4 developed with Liverpool's four marking: Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.

Early in the routine, Salah directed Mac Allister to pick up a dangerous Forest man, Murillo. Mac Allister struggled to do so, staying with his initial man and leaving Murillo free in the middle.

Szoboszlai marked Gibbs-White on the near post but drifted to cover the other free man instead, leaving Murillo in space as the cross arrived. Gibbs-White headed narrowly wide, but Murillo finished with minimal pressure as a result of the disjointed marking.

The goal highlighted a communication breakdown among Liverpool's central players, including Salah, who found himself without a marked man as the ball swung in.

Questions over Salah's defensive duties for such situations remain, given his strengths in the other direction.

Clever movement pulls Liverpool's defense apart

Forest's second came from a similar theme: better positional awareness and coordinated rotations pulling Liverpool's back line out of shape. Three Forest attackers pressed on the left, drawing Liverpool into a numerical stalemate that allowed space to develop in front of the defense.

Gibbs-White's move from midfield to the left wing drew Ryan Gravenberch away, while Williams drifted from the touchline into central areas and was not tracked. Mac Allister moved to cover Williams, leaving a void in front of the back line that Savona arrived to exploit and slot home as Liverpool retreated.

Although both goals looked different on the surface, a common thread emerged: Liverpool defended man-to-man and paid the price when Forest rotated and overloaded the box, creating space for the scorer in front of a high-line without cover.

There is growing concern about Salah's ability to balance defending and counter-attacking threat, especially when his defensive work-rate is called upon in high-intensity moments.

A lack of intensity and balance

Forest's third goal came from sustained pressure and a quick switch to find space on the wing. Hutchinson had room to run at the Liverpool defense, a scenario similar to how United carved them open earlier this season. The chance culminated in a shot saved by Alisson, but the loose coverage in front of the back line was the decisive factor.

Mac Allister's instinct to block the shot pulled him out of position, leaving Gibbs-White free to arrive and score. The recurring theme across all three goals was space opening up in the midfield zone in front of the Liverpool defense as they dropped deeper to protect the box without adequate protection in front of them.

Defenders could step out earlier to intercept shots, or a more positionally aware defensive midfielder could cut off the space in front of the back line to prevent such opportunities.

Forest impress in a statement win

Forest's display blended physicality, second-ball nous and well-timed runs off the ball. Their approach forced Liverpool into mistakes and capitalized on them, delivering a result that demanded serious response from Klopp's side.

Forest were relentless in attack, and their willingness to commit bodies forward added to Liverpool's problems when attempting to reclaim control of the game.

Conclusion

The scoreline reflected a deeper issue for Liverpool: balance, structure, and intensity in defense, particularly from set-pieces and when facing quick rotations. Forest's performance offered a clear blueprint for how to exploit the champions going forward.

Forest's intelligent movement and set-piece discipline unsettled Liverpool's defense, exposing balance and intensity gaps that must be addressed by Klopp's side. BBC Sport

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