Liverpool came out on top in a five-goal thriller at Anfield on Saturday, beating relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest 3-2.
It was a back-and-forth affair on Merseyside, with Jurgen Klopp’s side securing maximum reward to move within just six points of the top four. Goals from Diogo Jota (two) and Mohamed Salah cancelled out Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White to keep the Reds’ Champions League hopes alive.
Here is how the players rated at Anfield:
Liverpool
Alisson – 6 – Made a series of impressive saves, but couldn’t do much for Forest’s strikes, with both taking wicked deflections.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8 – At the heart of everything for the Reds, the versatile full-back cut inside and dictated the tempo, while his delivery to Salah was pinpoint perfect. Another playmaker masterclass from the deadball expert.
Ibrahima Konate – 6 – His battle against Awoniyi made for good entertainment and Konate certainly held his own, but he was unable to prevent Gibbs-White’s strike going through him, while Johnson got on the wrong side of him late on and hit the crossbar. Some excellent defending at times, but some equally questionable backline work.
Virgil van Dijk – 6 – A few mistakes early on, which is not like Liverpool’s ever-reliable Dutchman, but he recovered to hold the fort, even if his wayward header back into the box allowed Gibbs-White to equalise for a second time.
Andrew Robertson – 7 – Battled well down the flank in his typically attacking fashion, the Scot had a huge task on his hands to deal with Williams, and while he was unable to prevent his former team-mate striking past him, he did send the ball through to set up Jota mere moments later. It was a delivery that typified Robertson’s constant attacking threat.
Fabinho – 7 – Slowed things down for Liverpool when the match got chaotic and stood up well to handle Forest’s counters when they broke free. The Brazilian was cool under pressure and grabbed the opening assist for Jota.
Jordan Henderson – 6 – Nothing too fancy for the Liverpool skipper, who kept the play ticking over and kept his side pressing throughout the game. A routine showing from Klopp’s engine.
Curtis Jones – 6 – Similar to Henderson, the duo worked well to maintain Liverpool’s passing dominance. They didn’t blow Forest out of the water, and took time to start making consistent attacking threats, but their handling of the ball kept the visitor’s at arm’s length for much of the contest.
Mohamed Salah – 7 – Quiet for large spells, but you can never write off Liverpool’s Egyptian king. When they needed their main man to come to the fore, he duly delivered, tucking home from a free-kick delivery to get the host’s back in front, and continue his ridiculous scoring record for the club.
Diogo Jota – 8 – The attacking fulcrum on Monday night against Leeds, Jota was once again the difference-maker for Liverpool. He was Johnny-on-the-spot for the club’s opener as he headed home from close range. And his volley shortly after was a thing of beauty. Controlling the ball with his chest, and teeing himself up with his knee, Jota struck with his left foot to bypass one of football’s best shot-stoppers. Majestic.
Cody Gakpo – 5 – Anonymous. The Dutchman really struggled to get into the game and stamp his authority in the final third.
Substitutes:
Darwin Nunez (for Gakpo 60′) – 6 – Showed some nice touches and injected some much-needed flair for the final 30 minutes.
Thiago (for Fabinho 60′) – 6 – Came on at a pertinent moment for Liverpool, who just needed an injection of energy and control.
Luis Diaz (for Jota 81′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute.
James Milner (for Jones 81′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute.
Nottingham Forest
Keylor Navas – 6 – The PSG loanee made some top saves, but he was powerless to prevent Klopp’s men smashing thrice past him.
Neco Williams – 7 – Cleared a ball off the line in the first half which is just about as good as a goal, and then the former Liverpool man went on to bite the hand that once fed him in the second half. Played in by Gibbs-White, the high-flying wing-back drilled home a deflected strike past Alisson for Forest’s first.
Felipe – 5 – It was a difficult second half for Forest’s backline as Liverpool tore through them and breached Navas’ net three times in 25 minutes.
Moussa Niakhate – 7 – Rory Delap eat your heart out, Niakhate’s long throwings were causing absolute carnage all afternoon and contributed towards Forest’s second equaliser. Defensively untouchable in the first half, but certainly a few question marks after the restart.
Scott McKenna – 6 – Got stuck in and certainly got his shorts muddy in the opening half-hour. He was unfortunate to come off injured so soon into the game.
Renan Lodi – 5 – Really struggled to keep pace with Alexander-Arnold, who was running riot on the flank and cutting in-field. The Brazilian didn’t exactly cover himself in glory for Jota’s opening goal either, as he allowed the Portuguese to easily outmuscle him and nod home.
Orel Mangala – 6 – Battled well and crunched into challenges. Forest were on the back foot for much of the game, and Mangala was at the heart of their industry and endeavour defensively.
Danilo – 5 – Chasing shadows for a large portion of the match. The game plan was clear from Cooper, as his side ceded possession in the middle third and set up camp in front of their goal, and that largely hindered Danilo’s ability to dictate. Defensively, there wasn’t much to write home about, either. The Brazilian failed to win a single tackle or register an interception.
Remo Freuler – 5 – Huffed and puffed as Liverpool dominated possession, the Swiss midfielder put in the hard yards and got stuck in, but he registered just 50% possession by the time he went off the pitch and only 18 touches.
Morgan Gibbs-White – 8 – The attacking catalyst, Gibbs-White was Forest’s main and, at times, only threat going forward. He broke free to tee up Williams for the Welshman’s opener before bagging himself. Unlucky to be on the losing side.
Taiwo Awoniyi – 6 – Had an entertaining and tough battle with Konate and Van Dijk, the former Liverpool forward held his own against Klopp’s main defensive partnership, which is no mean feat when you’re left to fend for yourself up top at Anfield.
Substitutes:
Joe Worrall (for McKenna 30′) – 6 – Never easy coming on in such a tense game at the back, but he got stuck in.
Brennan Johnson (for Freuler 76′) – 6 – Nearly snatched a point for Forest, but for the bar denying him.
Emmanuel Dennis (for Felipe 87′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute.
Andre Ayew (for Awoniyi 87′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute.
Sam Surridge (for Lodi 87′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute.