'Forest heroics undone by Slot's super sub on night of pure theatre'

Nottingham Forest proprietor Evangelos Marinakis sat successful beforehand of his ain idiosyncratic elephantine tv surface successful the City Ground directors' container glued to a nighttime of axenic Premier League theatre.

Whether Marinakis' regard was fixed connected the tv oregon events unfolding connected the transportation successful beforehand of him, helium was watching the fulfilment of his burning ambition to person Forest punching supra their value with the top-flight superpowers, successful this lawsuit Premier League leaders Liverpool.

This was a nighttime that had everything – from a fantastic fiery ambiance arsenic Forest fans unrecorded the precocious life, to a brilliantly drilled antiaircraft show from Nuno Espirito Santo's side, lone underdone by a treble substitution of genius from Liverpool caput manager Arne Slot that astir turned decision to victory.

The extremity effect was a 1-1 gully that near Liverpool six points wide of Forest with a crippled successful hand, the Premier League's astonishment bundle demonstrating they afloat merit their spot successful the precocious reaches of the table.

For 66 minutes it looked similar Forest were astir to inflict a 2nd knockout stroke connected Liverpool this play aft their September triumph astatine Anfield, inactive the lone league decision Slot's broadside person suffered this season.

The archetypal fractional was classical Forest, classical Nuno, arsenic they took the pb successful trademark manner aft 8 minutes, Anthony Elanga slipping a walk beyond Virgil van Dijk into the way of striker Chris Wood, enjoying a aureate season, to decorativeness clinically for his 13th extremity of the season.

At the bosom of this monumental Forest effort was goalkeeper Matz Sels, who performed heroics arsenic Liverpool mounted a precocious caput of steam, on with the duplicate powerhouses of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic.

If determination is simply a much formidable cardinal antiaircraft concern successful the Premier League, past they indispensable beryllium an intimidating sight.

Murillo and Milenkovic are some prime players, but person a steely resoluteness and a "they shall not pass" attack that gives Forest's antagonistic attacking game, with Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi connected the flanks and Wood done the middle, the level to flourish.

Brazilian Murillo made 18 clearances against Liverpool, the astir made by immoderate subordinate successful a Premier League crippled this season. Forest made 59 overall, the 2nd astir successful a Premier League crippled down Leicester City's 63 against Arsenal successful September.

Milenkovic made 12 clearances arsenic Forest made it a frustrating evening for Liverpool until Diogo Jota made his impact.

And what a grounds to Forest's recruitment that the brace outgo a comparatively tiny sum of £27m, 22-year-old Murillo costing £15m from Corinthians successful August 2023 portion Milenkovic arrived for £12m from Fiorentina successful July 2024.

Keeper Sels besides falls into the bargain basement category, costing lone £5m from Strasbourg successful February this year.

He was different stone for Forest, making 5 saves, including 2 captious blocks from Jota arsenic good arsenic a flying, diversion prevention from Mohamed Salah arsenic the location broadside held on.

Liverpool whitethorn person had astir 71% possession, but this is Forest's style, perfected by manager Nuno and capable to frustrate arguably the champion broadside successful Europe until much powerfulness arrived from the bench.

Slot's vexation was arsenic precocious arsenic it has been this play arsenic Forest built that formidable reddish barrier, perpetually pointing astatine his ticker to kick astir perceived clip wasting, but his calculating caput was inactive chill capable to marque the treble alteration that altered the people of the game.

He replaced the struggling Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konate with Jota and Kostas Tsimikas aft 66 minutes – ignoring the accustomed contented of waiting until a country had been taken earlier making the changes.

The reward came successful 22 seconds arsenic Tsimikas' set-piece was met by Jota's header and Liverpool were level.

It was Jota's archetypal touch, and Liverpool's fastest extremity by a substitute successful a Premier League lucifer since records began successful 2006-07.

Slot dismissed immoderate proposition this was immoderate benignant of tactical masterclass, saying: "If it had been unfastened play, past radical could possibly accidental it was a tactical masterclass but it was a set-piece truthful I don't deliberation I merit immoderate credit.

"It was a substitution wherever we brought an attacker connected for a defender and the information it instantly led to a goal, you could accidental it was luck."

Slot hid his vexation astatine a 2nd successive league gully arsenic helium said: "Since the New Year, successful 2 retired of 3 games astir hold with maine wherever I accidental we merit much than we got.

"The lone 1 the pundits didn't hold with was the [Manchester] United crippled but erstwhile you look astatine the chances we some created, we deserved much than a 2-2 successful that one. Too galore times now, we deserved much than we got and this is thing we person to set arsenic soon arsenic we can.

"Our fans, our players and me, we privation to triumph the league but we privation the fans to travel and spot america and similar what they see."

No-one – not adjacent the hard-to-please Marinakis included – would person near the City Ground feeling abbreviated changed aft this thrilling instalment of the Premier League.