Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool
Nottingham Forest against Liverpool is no ordinary fixture. Fans of a certain age will have vivid memories of the rivalry that the two clubs forged during the pinnacle of the ‘Clough and Paisley years’ which began in 1978 and saw them endure several heated contests. Forest and Liverpool battled it out for silverware time and time again but in many ways, they couldn’t have been more different. Bob Paisley’s team, which he inherited from Bill Shankly, were known for their attacking style and swagger. They were the big dogs of their time who held the most prestige in English football. Then along came Nottingham Forest managed by Brian Clough, who were renowned for being defensively resolute with Burns and Lloyd as the centre back pairing, but also devastating on the counter with John Robertson on the left wing.
That Forest side who were managed by Clough knocked Liverpool off their porch when they were flying high, beating them in a League Cup final in 1978, winning the title in 1979 and then stopping them from winning a third straight European Cup by knocking them out in the first round, eventually going on to win the final in Munich. Flash forward to 2025 and while football has changed in so many different ways, their is an eerie similarity to the way these two clubs match up on the eve of this hugely anticipated game.
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
Arne Slot has taken the reigns from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and has continued to adopt an aggressive, attack orientated tactical approach with some elite attacking players at his disposal. While he has made some tweaks, the attacking mentality very much still exists and has seen him get the best out of Mo Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo in particular, who have racked up 32 goals and 17 assists so far this season between them. On the other hand, Nuno Espírito Santo has built his side on a supreme defence, a midfield who set traps to counter attack with pace and precision through talisman Morgan Gibbs-White and his attacking colleagues Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Chris Wood. Like the Clough years, Forest are defying the odds yet again. Liverpool may be the team gaining all the plaudits with their elite attacking talent, but Nuno’s side are well and truly ‘in your head.’ That is, if your name is Arne Slot. Going into this game Forest were still the only team to beat Liverpool in the Premier League this season and also the only team to beat a side managed by the Dutch manager throughout the entirety of 2024.
Having been to watch Forest struggle against Doncaster Rovers and Wigan Athletic in fairly recent history, nights like these have to be cherished and savoured. Although in the past 3 years we’ve had some huge nights at the City Ground including a play-off semi final second leg against Sheffield United in 2022 and an FA Cup quarter final against Tuesday night’s opponents Liverpool, this particular game felt bigger, it resembled a moment where Forest could really cement themselves back amongst the big boys.
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
After our first Premier League win since being promoted back to the top division in 2022 against West Ham there were chants of ‘Forest are back’, which was true but they also came with a knowing that we were all strapped in for a real slog of a season, battling against Southampton, Leeds and Leicester for survival. We now sit 3rd in the Premier League, 6 points behind Liverpool. If Forest could channel the spirit of Colin Barrett and beat Liverpool for a second time this season, then they really would be back and strongly in contention for the title.
For me, the overriding feeling that I felt before, during and after the game was one of immense pride in our football club. While their were certainly notes of anxiety throughout the game (particularly in the second half which we’ll get onto), the fact that we have already defied everyone’s expectations of us so far this season means that their wasn’t any real pressure to win the game, but rather a hope of what may await us on the other side if we did.
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
Upon walking through the turnstiles at the world famous City Ground, you could sense that it was going to be a memorable night. Chants were being sung where we were stood in the Upper Bridgford stand, above the packed away section, before the players had even entered the tunnel to come out onto the pitch. Mull of Kintyre was sung at an extraordinary volume before kick off, with scarves held aloft everywhere you looked. There was also a Forza Garibaldi banner which was displayed as the pre match anthem was being belted out, pointing to the identity of the city and the club by simply stating that: ‘This is Nottingham, we are the reds’. It was now time for the football to do the talking.
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
In the opening stages of the game Forest looked like they would be on the backfoot with Liverpool controlling possession and getting away a couple of shots from distance. However, the tide shifted considerably in a moment where time seemed to stand still. Chris Wood was played through after a lightning quick break was started by Callum Hudson-Odoi winning possession near the half way line and then feeding the ball to Elanga, his ball for Wood was inch perfect and suddenly Forest had a chance to take the lead. The City Ground collectively held it’s breath as Wood’s shot squirmed past Alison Becker and inside the far post to put Forest into a 1-0 lead. Cue an explosion of emotion across the stadium which must have spilled and reverberated out across the city of Nottingham and into the outer villages of Nottinghamshire. Electrifying, deafening noise from all directions which must have been hair raising for those players on the pitch. Would this be our Colin Barrett moment?
Forest stayed solid throughout the first half and were roared off at half time, every single player had put in an enormous shift and the fans were reciprocating that energy through their support. Murillo though, rose head and shoulders above everyone else as the stand out performer in a red shirt. A moment in the first half summed up his performance when he thwarted a dangerous looking Liverpool attack by standing his ground and flicking out his left boot to stop Luis Diaz in his tracks as he went 1 on 1 with the Brazilian defender. He also tried an audacious long shot which looked like it was destined for the top corner from where we were positioned behind that goal, only to swerve agonisingly wide. Over the course of the game, Murillo made a total of 18 clearances, which is the highest number for a Premier League player in any match this season. You’ll never beat Murillo.
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
The second half was a different story. Despite all the positivity energy from the home fans, there was an unnerving feeling that eventually Liverpool’s quality would tell. The second forty five minutes from a Forest standpoint was all about grit, defensive steel and putting bodies on the line. Liverpool started to dominate the game and piled pressure onto a tiring Forest backline. Despite all the pressure, Forest came up with answers for the majority of the questions that Liverpool posed to them. It was only a double substitution midway through the second half that broke through the Forest defence, and the impact was immediate. Kostas Tsimikas came on in the 65th minute and his first action was to take an in-swinging corner that was glanced into the net off the head of his fellow substitute Diogo Jota, who scored with his first touch. Relief for the away fans, disappointment for the home supporters, who fell silent for the first time in the entire match. That silence didn’t last long at all though as they roused to lift their heroes in red after seeing them concede.
It turned into attack vs defence for the remainder of the game and Forest have Matz Sels and Ola Aina to thank for keeping the scoreline level, a string of top class saves from Sels to deny Salah, Jota and Gakpo frustrated Arne Slot immensly and Aina’s goal line clearances would have only further exasperated the man in the away dugout. It was a nervy second half watch from the Upper Bridgford but every Sels save was met with an outpouring of relief and appreciation. A special moment came in the late stages of the game, as the Forest fans tried to push our team over the line, with every supporter rising to sing a rendition of ‘Forest are magic on and off the pitch.’ Nuno referenced that moment in his post match interview as being pivotal in helping the players to dig deep into their energy reserves and secure a point against the best team in the division.
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
My feelings of the game post match were purely positive. The game state in the second half and the way Liverpool pushed the Forest defence to it’s limits meant that in the end, a draw was welcomed. After all, we have now taken 4 points off the team who sit at the top of the league and who look like they will end up lifting the Premier League trophy. There is a lingering feeling of ‘what could have been’ had we not conceded from that corner, but it felt like the players gave all that they possibly could and in the end they showed enormous resilience to take a share of the points at the full time whistle.
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong (IG: @james_a_armstrong)
As Forest fans, we are riding the crest of a wave at the minute and positivity is seeping from every crack in the City Ground walls and along the banks of the River Trent. A point against Liverpool takes us up to 41 points. Looking at the big picture, Champions League football can realistically be achieved if we continue the form that we have shown so far. With the January transfer window open, Forest may look to add some more depth in attacking areas, with strong rumours linking Taiwo Awoniyi with a move to West Ham where I think he would be a good fit. Forest themselves have been linked to Brentford striker Yohanne Wissa who has 11 goals so far this season and would be a huge addition to give Forest some extra attacking firepower, and would take part of the burden off of Chris Wood.
What we learnt from Tuesday night is that the spirit of Clough is still alive. That team who locked horns with Liverpool so often in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s had the willpower, determination and defensive quality that can be seen in Nuno’s side today. Those qualities were on full show on Tuesday night as Forest continued to disprove all of the pundits and naysayers who wrote them off at the beginning of the season, just like Clough’s team did 45 years ago. His team may have gone several steps further than this one will, but the similarities are still very relevant. Overall, It was a special atmosphere to be a part of and every single Forest supporter will have a desire to experience more nights under the City Ground lights next season, hopefully watching us feature in a European competition.
Written by Joe Horne
Photography courtesy of James Armstrong - (Instagram: james_a_armstrong)
