Just when it seemed nothing was dropping for Liverpool in a captivating contest, Arne Slot turned to his substitutes’ bench midway through the second half and exhibited his seemingly golden touch. Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota entered, the former teeing up the latter at a corner to equalise courtesy of their first touches and keep Nottingham Forest, who continue to take great pleasure at gatecrashing the title race, at arm’s length. Even if it was an imperfect night for Liverpool, it felt a significant takeaway. Jota’s header was Liverpool’s first effort on target and the first goal Forest had conceded in more than 500 minutes.
For Forest, this is simply a ride supporters do not want to step off. At the final whistle their players were greeted with applause from all four corners of a throbbing stadium. This was another resounding display under Nuno Espírito Santo, another impressive step in an extraordinary season and a point lifts them to second, six points behind the pacesetters, who also have a game in hand. On this evidence, Forest may prove Liverpool’s fiercest challengers, especially with both Chelsea and Manchester City dropping more points.
