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Forest's success on Merseyside last season was a blip in an usually commanding Premier League home record for the Merseyside club. This recurrence now, a much more emphatic success under the Forest boss, was indicative of the challenges plaguing the faltering former winners.

Nottingham Forest's superb performance

Nottingham Forest proved brilliant as they recorded their most significant victory at the famous ground. Scores from the Brazilian, outstanding at each end of the field, Savona and the magnificent the playmaker spurred a well-earned win for a team that also kept a initial shutout in 20 top-flight games.

The home side's struggles

The Reds, in comparison, were a disorganized as they suffered an eighth loss in eleven games to drop into the bottom half of the standings. Poor at dead-ball situations, again, unproductive in attack, again, with Isak substituted after sixty-eight quiet period, and poor in defense, they struggled in each phase to fall to a consecutive heavy defeat.

Opening control without reward

For half an hour the Reds maintained the upper hand, the occasional break from the Forest attacker excepted, but the inability to convert chances into the hard currency of finishes hurt them significantly. Alexis Mac Allister was presented with an initial chance from Cody Gakpo's run into the box only for the Forest player to produce a brilliant line save with his skull. Mac Allister had a another effort blocked shortly after while impressive control from the winger created another short-distance chance for Kerkez. An opposition player just succeeded to put off the back into sending high.

Dead-ball frailty afflicts repeatedly

The manager has frequently bemoaned the team's susceptibility to fast breaks and dead balls this season. There was further evidence for frustration when the visitors took the lead through a blend of the each weakness.

Dyche was shocked after Jesus was unable to find Nicolás Domínguez in room on the break and presented the defender opportunity to intercept. The resulting set-piece sparked celebratory moments in the visitors' bench, however, when Anderson's ball glanced off Van Dijk to Murillo and the centre-half drilled an unbeatable strike from close range into the far corner. There were echoes of Van Dijk's disallowed goal against Manchester City in the visitors' opener with the forward positioned in an illegal position in front of Anfield's fit-again goalkeeper the goalie.

The review system rulings and dispute

As expected, the the skipper was prompt to mention the similarities to the referee, Andrew Madley. In contrast to Andy Robertson at the Manchester, Dan Ndoye made no apparent gesture in front of the goalkeeper and the strike remained. The league clarified: "The referee's call of a score was checked and verified by VAR – with it considered that the player was outside of the view of the goalkeeper and did not make an move that affected an defender."

Liverpool were let off by the referees and VAR a short time later when Igor Jesus thought he had doubled the visitors' advantage.

Ibrahima Konaté, who experienced a terrible day, made an unconvincing effort to clear an Sangaré's cross and directed the object against the attacker, who brought down before placing the lower corner of the keeper's net. The referee, in contact with his assistant referee, disallowed the strike for a handball that multiple footage were unable to verify or refute. The Premier League stated: "The decision of disallowed strike was checked and upheld by the system – with it deemed that the player inadvertently handled the object before scoring."

Follow-up goal widens advantage

That was the end of the respite. Moments of the resumption Mac Allister was unable to stop a delivery towards the defender inside the home penalty area. Williams spun away from his marker and laid Forest's second on a platter for fellow defender the scorer, who found the keeper's upper corner with a composed accurate strike.

Strategic substitutions fail

Liverpool's coach went for broke, replacing Konaté with Ekitiké after 55 minutes and using the Les Bleus forward alongside the Swede. That experiment lasted just a short period before Alexander Isak was withdrawn following a further anonymous display. Chiesa and the youngster were additionally introduced to the Liverpool attack but sloppiness in ball control and sturdy Forest defending kept the hosts at arm's length.

Late goal seals the outcome

The visitors showed the skill and penetration that the hosts were lacking in the final third to decide the game {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively