Leader of the English Championship, Liverpool needed to finish 22 times to beat Nottingham Forest, threatened by relegation, 1-0, with a goal from Darwin Núñez in stoppage time this Saturday (2).
The script for the triumph that guaranteed another round at the top of the table was similar to that of the victory that won the English League Cup. Last week, Liverpool scored the title-winning goal against Chelsea in the 13th minute of second half extra time, with Van Dijk heading in.
This Saturday, the relief goal was also at the end of the game, in the 54th minute of the second half, and also with a header. It was Liverpool’s fourth consecutive victory in English.
Coach Jürgen Klopp’s team could be overtaken by second-placed Manchester City, which plays in the city’s derby with United this Sunday (3) and could reach 62 points. Furthermore, Arsenal has 58 points and faces bottom club Sheffield United on Monday (4).
In addition to securing the lead, this Saturday’s victory ended a taboo against Nottingham Forest, who had not lost to Liverpool in 13 games in the English top flight. Only one team has a longer unbeaten streak against Liverpool: Arsenal, with 18 matches between 1905 and 1928.
This Saturday, Liverpool dominated the game with 71% possession of the ball and many shots against Belgian Matz Sels’ goal. Despite this, the visitors’ aim was very poor, and only two of the 22 shots went in the right direction. The home team tried counterattacks and managed the same number of successful shots in eight attempts.
The goal by Núñez, who came on in the second half in place of Robertson, came after a corner kick. Nottingham Forest managed to neutralize the cross and were going on the attack when they had the ball stolen. Mac Allister lifted the ball in the middle of the area and the Uruguayan striker deflected it into the back of the goal.
In the next round, Liverpool hosts Manchester City on Sunday (10), and Nottingham Forest faces Brighton, also on Sunday.
Before that, on Thursday (7), Liverpool will go to Prague to face Sparta in the first game of the round of 16 of the Europa League.
Follow CNN Sports on all platforms
This content was originally created in Itatiaia.
Share: