Historical Win For Reds At Anfield

Forest’s Liverpool triumph is proof of clubs evolution.

In a milestone victory, Nottingham Forest won at Anfield against an in-form Liverpool for whom were unbeaten, without having conceded, and under the helm of Arne Slot. Not only is this a milestone in the beating of a side with the quality of Liverpool, but more so for the fact it is Forest’s first win at Anfield since 1969 – the club was without its two European trophies, humans landed on the moon just five months before, and most fans that watch now weren’t born – now, let that sink in.

While it is just three points on the face of it, to Forest, this means everything. A longstanding history of rivalry with Liverpool, beating them at their fortress for which only a few teams have done over the last few seasons, it is a real achievement, and direct evidence of Forest’s recent success, and indeed evolution as a top flight club.

How did the game play out?

The most important factor to any fixture is the result – tactics, statistics, all subjectivity & objectivity comes second. Three points earned, unexpected by most of the fanbase, and neutrals doing wider viewing.

From a tactical perspective though, Nuno Espírito Santo got it spot on, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed. Forest started in somewhat of a 4-3-2-1, or as it is sometimes called, the “Christmas tree”. Encompassing five midfielders, the formation strangles space from the midfield of the opposition, and works well with a lower-block system, for which Forest used against Liverpool. By having two attacking midfielders in front of a strong core midfield of Anderson, Ward-Prowse & Yates, Forest had a wonderful mix of attributes at play – both breaking down play & creation. Aina & Moreno, despite on paper being fullbacks, showcased attacking acumen in retrieving the ball from Liverpool forwards, and going forward, opening the wide areas in Forest’s favour. Later on in the game came the dynamism, wide players in Hudson-Odoi & Elanga came on, offering pace, width, and of course precision in front of goal, as the ex-Chelsea star & new substitute, Hudson-Odoi, scored the winner.

It was a stroke of masterclass from Nuno, not only were the starting tactics a success, but in general the game management. Forest had a perfectly sculpted strategy for Arne Slot’s Liverpool to try and break down, and even with the quality of their team, they could not do so.

The likes of Salah, Szobozslai, and co, kept quiet. Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of footballers, some of the best talent in the world, kept quiet. Moreno, Aina & Murillo most notably can take the most plaudits for this – their defending was incredible.

How is Nuno bringing success to his side?

First of all, and to be pessimistic, it is early days. Another 34 match days are yet to be played in Forest’s season, but two away wins & two points from two games at home is a start of dreams considering how the other two seasons started. The difference? The coach.

While this is no “hit piece” at Steve Cooper – a legend of the club – it must be acknowledged that Nuno is a far superior coach, and it isn’t simply a coincidence that Forest have had such an upturn in form to start the season.

Nuno enjoys a smaller squad, has more of a grasp on what he wants from his side on & off the pitch, while also – statistically – improving the team on many metrics. Cooper was an instant fan-favourite, whereas Nuno has taken time to become loved by the Forest fanbase. While this caused concern at the start for some, it almost seems as though the ‘roots’ of the relationship may have been slightly “bitter”, in terms of the fact there was no real manager-fan relationship, the ‘fruits’ have been sweet, and worth waiting for. A Premier League side needs points – Nuno delivers that, and his rapport with the fans is at the highest it has been in his reign, with no signs of slowing.

More importantly, Nuno bringing success to his side can come with a lot of credit to the ownership – the club are structuring their strategy around him. As opposed to the noise of last season, often reckless recruitment decisions, and other negatives, now the club are quietly working on improving the team, supporting the coaches, and overall striving to take the club to the “next level”.

A trimmed squad, less players to coach, more time to spend improving those needed most, it makes sense why Nuno enjoys a smaller squad, as he did at Wolves, and why results come from that.

Why was/is this such a big result?

Because of the history. The sides have clashed 121 times, the first in 1895, the last just a weekend ago. Nights in the cups, Europe, league, and more – the history of rivalry between these two former superpowers of British/European football is one most of a certain generation would relish to see once more. Now, Forest have regained those bragging rights, and done so on Liverpool’s home soil, Anfield.

Not just the long-term history, but indeed short-term too. Liverpool are arguably at their strongest point since the early 2000’s, or have been in the last 7-8 years under Jurgen Klopp, a manager for which they have won essentially everything with, and for Forest to beat them, it is always a huge result. The 1-0 victory at the City Ground was momentous, but the 1-0 win at Anfield completely outshines it – a class above, and Forest truly deserved this.

Forest’s last game with Liverpool also came with controversy – a drop ball nightmare, more than minimum added time played, and Darwin Nunez won it in the 99th minute for the Merseyside giants. A solemn day, which bred anger towards the establishment amongst the Forest fanbase, and ownership — the players didn’t forget that game either. So when someone asks: “Why is this such a big win?” – you must see the bigger picture. That 99th minute winner on its own is enough reasoning for why this win matters so much, but the list goes on.

Looking forward…

Forest sit on eight points with four games played. They haven’t achieved this in the opening four games since their Premier League return until now. Not only this, but they have won four away games in a row since 1995.

The records keep getting broken: Forest somewhat of a Grim Reaper in a hallway full of records to be broken, which door they knock at next, who knows, but the quality & mentality of this side says that it won’t be long before the next.

A tough fixture against Brighton awaits at the AMEX this weekend – a long journey down south which promises nothing but challenge from a Fabian Hürzeler side that has shone so far. Another solution to battle a top side needed from the tactician, Nuno, who hopes to make it another successful away fixture for his side.

Forest have been dealt a slight injury ‘woah’ though, as Sangaré is set to miss around three months of game time – possibly expected to return nearer to Christmas. He suffered a hamstring injury recently.