Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool: Player ratings as Jota and Tsimikas make instant impact in surprise title clash | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest and Liverpool battled to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining encounter at the City Ground on Tuesday night.

Separated by just six points, Nottingham Forest knew they had a genuine chance of blasting themselves into the Premier League title race against the leaders here and they started fast, with Chris Wood opening the scoring after just eight minutes.

Forest looked for a while like they might just pull off a famous victory but Liverpool always have an answer. This time, it came in the form of a Diogo Jota header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner, just 22 seconds after both players had been introduced by Arne Slot.

Liverpool took control of the game from there and in the end, Forest needed some heroics from goalkeeper Matz Sels — who made three stunning saves late on — to walk away with a point.

Nevertheless, that’s enough to at least temporarily take Forest above Arsenal into second place, still six points behind Liverpool with one game extra played.

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool player ratings

Nottingham Forest

Matz Sels: 81%

Didn’t have anything to do until Diogo Jota headed home the equaliser, but there was little he could do to stop that one. Pulled off stunning saves to deny Jota, Salah and Gakpo winning goals in the final 15 minutes.

Ola Aina: 58%

Sloppy with the ball at times, completing just 62% of his passes, including zero out of four attempted long passes. Still, put a great defensive shift in and helped out with two goalline clearances late on.

Nikola Milenkovic: 57%

Another in Forest red who wasn’t at his best in possession, only completing 50% of his passes. Made 12 clearances to help keep Liverpool at bay and wasn’t at fault for the equaliser.

Murillo: 64%

Very static on the Liverpool goal, failing to react quickly enough to the Tsimikas cross. Other than that, it was a huge performance from Murillo, who made 18 clearances, six recoveries, four tackles — winning all four — and two interceptions.

Neco Williams: 61%

Got pinned back the longer the game went on and in the end, had to do a lot more defending than supporting the attack. Carried out that duty well, however, considering the quality of the opposition he was up against.

Ryan Yates: 49%

Had to work hard to keep a lid on the Liverpool midfield and did so with two tackles, four recoveries and two clearances. Wasn’t able to affect the game too much going forward, playing just two passes into the final third and not creating any chances.

Elliot Anderson: 64%

A real driving force in midfield, notching a 100% dribble success rate and winning seven of his eight ground duels. His eight combined ground and aerial duels won was a match-high, although Anderson was unable to create a chance.

Anthony Elanga: 69%

Provided the assist for the opening goal and was a menace all night with his electric pace. Seemed to run out of steam at the end, which was evident in how easily Virgil van Dijk was able to dispose of him to shut down a counter attack. But he’d already done plenty of damage by that point.

Morgan Gibbs-White: 55%

Wasn’t necessarily Gibbs-White’s most effective game, creative just one chance and not attempting any shots. However, he still caused Liverpool problems, drawing a match-high three fouls while having two touches in the opposition box and playing two passes into the final third.

Callum Hudson-Odoi: 59%

An exciting performance from the former Chelsea man, who completed 100% of his dribbles, won the ball back from Salah in the build-up to the Forest goal and tested Alisson with a shot on target in the opening 15 minutes. Tailed off in the second half.

Chris Wood: 63%

Showed yet more ice-cold composure to put Forest 1-0 up early on and battled hard on his own up-front, contesting six aerial duels and two ground duels. Will be disappointed in his role in the equaliser, not reacting despite Jota positioning himself right in front of him.

Liverpool

Alisson: 55%

Couldn’t do much about Wood’s goal with the New Zealand striker finishing one-on-one. Made a couple of decent saves afterwards and showed great composure with the ball at his feet as always.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 66%

Not Alexander-Arnold’s finest hour, failing to create any chances, although he’ll be livid that not one of his teammates could make something of the nine crosses he delivered on the night. Dribbled past twice and only won one of five ground duels. Was far too wide on the Forest goal, giving Wood space to receive Elanga’s pass and pick his spot.

Ibrahima Konate: 63%

Sacrificed in the 66th minute as Arne Slot hunted down the equaliser — a decision that was immediately rewarded. That said, Konate did okay in a performance that included nine passes into the final third.

Virgil van Dijk: 68%

Excellent on the ball as ever and was typically imperious defensively, winning all five of his aerial duels, while making seven clearances and three recoveries. Will likely be fuming at Alexander-Arnold on the Forest goal, with the England international far too wide.

Andy Robertson: 64%

Robertson struggled to affect the game in the final third, with Tsimikas immediately injecting more thrust into Liverpool’s left flank once he came on. Failed to create any meaningful chances and only completed 81% of his passes.

Ryan Gravenberch: 64%

Was actually most effective defensively here, making nine clearances and six recoveries. Alert to multiple Nottingham Forest counter attacks, picking up superb positions to shut down opposition momentum and get Liverpool moving forward again. He really can do it all.

Alexis Mac Allister: 68%

Displayed some excellent passing, playing seven passes into the final third and creating two chances. Combative, too, making four tackles and winning five of his nine contested ground duels.

Mohamed Salah: 63%

One of the most underwhelming Mohamed Salah performances you’re likely to see in a while, losing possession on the Forest goal, failing to complete any of his four dribbles and only getting two of his six attempted shots on target. And yet, he still created four chances and had 12 touches in the opposition box. Even when he’s off it, you cannot sleep on Salah.

Dominik Szoboszlai: 62%

Missed a couple of decent chances and blew hot and cold with the ball, making a few puzzling decisions. Still, created three chances and played seven passes into the final third.

Cody Gakpo: 72%

Denied a trademark ‘cut inside and finish’ goal by an excellent Sels save. Created four chances and attempted three shots, looking exciting despite his final product not quite hitting the mark.

Luis Diaz: 46%

Given the job of leading the line for Liverpool but largely struggled to cope with the physicality of the Forest centre-backs. Failed to complete any of his three dribbles and attempted just one shot. Jota looked far more at ease in the No.9 role when he came on and immediately drew the Reds level.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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