View: 94% star dazzles, 5/10s drop howler – Liverpool player ratings v Nottingham Forest
Arne Slot suffered his first defeat as Liverpool boss as his side lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest at Anfield on 14 September.
Nuno Espirito Santo set his side up to perfection in the opening 45 minutes as his side withstood pressure from the hosts to keep the tie scoreless going into the break.
The Reds struggled to find the final pass and paid the price as Callum Hudson-Odoi wrapped a curling effort past Alisson on 72 minutes to secure a surprising victory.
Here’s how Liverpool News rated each player out of 10 at Anfield, with all stats from SofaScore.
Nottingham Forest beat Liverpool 1-0
Alisson – 6
Only the two saves for Alisson against the visitors, but he stood no chance of keeping out Hudson-Odoi’s winner. The Brazilian failed to deal with the one real threat on goal all afternoon as the Reds suffered a shock loss.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6
Slot’s decision to move Alexander-Arnold into midfield ultimately cost the Reds the match, and the 25-year-old made no impact from the centre of the pitch. The vice-captain made four key passes and looked lively. However, with only 30 per cent of his long balls finding a teammate and losing 72.7 per cent of his duels it was hardly a solid performance.
Ibrahima Konate [off for Curtis Jones 75′] – 6
Konate barely put a foot wrong for the but was sacrificed in the final 15 minutes with the Reds chasing an equaliser. The Frenchman won 100 per cent of his aerial duels and completed 94 per cent of his passes.
Virgil van Dijk – 6
Van Dijk threatened on a few occasions winning 66 per cent of his aerial duels but to no avail. The Dutchman was nowhere near the worst player on the pitch and tried to get his side going with six completed long balls. However, the captain was powerless to prevent his side from losing.
Andy Robertson [off for Kostas Tsimikas 75′] – 5
Robertson is starting to become a concern for Liverpool after another underwhelming performance. The left-back lost both of his two duels and offered little to no attacking threat as the Reds fell to a shock defeat at Anfield.
Ryan Gravenberch – 7
Gravenberch was solid defensively again for Liverpool winning 60 per cent of his duels. The 22-year-old made one key pass out of his 86 per cent completed, and alongside Mac Allister can be one of the only Liverpool players to hold their heads high after a shocking team performance.
Alexis Mac Allister [off for Conor Bradley 59′] – 8
Mac Allister provided the most attacking threat for the Reds in a quiet first-half performance. The Argentine saw his effort spawned by Mats Sels after his one key pass found Jota in the six-yard box, but couldn’t convert. With 94 per cent pass accuracy, Mac Allister looked most likely to make an impact and was unfortunate on the day.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6
The midfield was on point at Anfield, Szoboszlai alongside his central midfield teammates bossed the match. With 3 key passes of his 77 per cent completed, the number 8 looked dangerous but the wheels fell off with the Reds chasing the game as he lost possession 18 times throughout the match.
Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota drop howlers for Liverpool
Mohamed Salah – 5
The Egyptian was off the pace against Nottingham Forest and struggled to continue his dazzling form on Saturday afternoon. Salah only managed three shots with two on-target, completed 20 per cent of his dribbles, and lost 75 per cent of his duels. The Reds are too heavily reliant on Salah to perform and that showed against Nottingham Forest.
Diogo Jota [off for Darwin Nunez 59′] – 5
He misses a golden chance in the first half to give the Reds the lead after a peach of a pass from Mac Allister. The 27-year-old looks out of sorts of late and looked no better at Anfield with only 55 per cent pass completion out of 11 passes and winning just 33 per cent of his duels. It may be time for a change up front.
Luis Diaz [off for Cody Gakpo 59′] – 6
The Colombian created the one big chance of the first half, chasing down a lost ball before seeing his one shot cannon back off the post. Diaz completed none of his three dribbles but found teammates with 96 per cent of his passes. He failed to replicate his stunning display against Manchester United, but he put in a shift on a frustrating afternoon.
Substitutions:
Conor Bradley – 5
Slot may be wishing he never brought Bradley onto the pitch on Saturday, the right-back let Hudson-Odoi onto his stronger right foot to give the visitors the lead. A rare mistake from a player who always gives a good account of himself in a Liverpool shirt.
Darwin Nunez – 5
Nunez had the chance to show Slot he should be the starting striker and he wasted the opportunity. Only 10 touches for the Uruguayan who failed 60 per cent of his five attempted passes. Another who needs to get his head together.
Cody Gakpo – 5
Another poor cameo from the Dutch forward. Gakpo looks a far cry from the player who shone for the Netherlands at Euro 2024 and only managed [] touches and would have been better off staying on the bench.
Curtis Jones – N/A
Kostas Tsimikas – N/A
In other Liverpool news, a data expert shares insight into the Reds’ transfer approach.
For more Liverpool women news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.