Liverpool’s quadruple hopes are still alive as they beat a spirited Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground to book their place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Diogo Jota scored the only goal of the game, with just over ten minutes remaining, but the Championship side, who knocked out Arsenal and Leicester earlier in the competition, gave Jurgen Klopp’s side a real scare.
They came through it though and will face Manchester City at Wembley next month, with the two sides destined to play a defining role in each other’s seasons.
Liverpool retained a strong spine with Alisson, Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Jota keeping their places from midweek and in the early stages they needed it.
Van Dijk was, typically, a beacon of calm and, knowing what was coming, the visitors looked to take the sting out of the situation and pick off their opponents in the opening stages.
Only Joe Worrall’s superbly-timed tackled denied Jota a good shooting opportunity, while Kostas Tsimikas’ swerving volley dipped just over.
Fabinho dragged a shot wide from an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain corner, while Roberto Firmino squandered the best opportunity of the half when through one-on-one, his decision to go for a cheeky chipped finish proving the wrong one as Ethan Horvath saved.
Forest started the second-half with renewed vigour, before Klopp made a quadruple substitution in the 63rd minute, sending on midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson and forwards Luis Diaz and Takumi Minamino.
With Forest legs tiring, the game appeared to be Liverpool’s for the taking, but it was the hosts who should have seized victory 15 minutes from time.
Van Dijk vacated his position in central defence to carry the ball into midfield only to lose possession and the hosts countered with a two-on-one which saw Zinckernagel shoot wide with only Alisson to beat.
He was made to pay three minutes later as Jota struck his second important goal of the week following Tsimikas’ cross to the far post.
There were some late scares for the visitors when Alex Mighten went down under a challenge from Alisson, but referee Craig Pawson saw no foul and VAR agreed, and then Cafu fired over in added time as Forest went out beaten but unbowed.
