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The away side's win on Merseyside the previous campaign seemed an anomaly in an otherwise strong top-flight performances at Anfield for the hosts. A second successive win this season, a decisively stronger success under their manager, was symptomatic of the problems engulfing the faltering champions.

Nottingham Forest's outstanding display

Nottingham Forest proved exemplary as they recorded their largest victory at Anfield. Strikes from the defender, superb at each end of the playing surface, the full-back and the magnificent the playmaker spurred a well-earned success for a team that also kept a maid clean sheet in 20 Premier League fixtures.

Liverpool's woes

The Reds, in comparison, were a mess as they suffered an eighth loss in eleven matches to slide into the lower half of the league. Weak at set-plays, again, impotent in attack, again, with Isak replaced after 68 uninfluential minutes, and poor in defense, they failed in all departments to succumb to a back-to-back heavy reverse.

Early control without payoff

For half an hour the Reds held the initiative, the sporadic counter from Morgan Gibbs-White apart, but the failure to convert chances into the hard currency of finishes hurt them significantly. Alexis Mac Allister was offered an early-on opening from the forward's surge into the box only for Anderson to produce a brilliant desperate block with his skull. The Liverpool midfielder had a another effort stopped soon after while impressive skill from Salah set up another short-distance chance for Kerkez. The visiting defender just managed to pressure the back into blazing over.

Set-piece weakness hits again

The manager has frequently bemoaned Liverpool's susceptibility to counterattacks and set-plays this season. This provided fresh cause for complaint when the visitors took the lead through a mix of the both aspects.

Sean Dyche was shocked after Igor Jesus was unable to find Domínguez in room on the break and allowed the defender the opening to intervene. The following corner kick sparked ecstatic scenes in the visitors' bench, however, when the midfielder's ball deflected off the captain to Murillo and the defender hammered an irresistible finish from inside the box into the back of the net. This evoked echoes of Van Dijk's chalked-off strike against City in the visitors' opener with Ndoye located in an illegal position in front of the home side's fit-again goalkeeper the goalie.

VAR calls and controversy

Unsurprisingly, the Liverpool captain was prompt to highlight the comparisons to the referee, Andrew Madley. But unlike Andy Robertson at the Manchester, the forward made no apparent action in front of Alisson and the goal remained. The league clarified: "The initial ruling of goal was reviewed and confirmed by the assistant – with it considered that Ndoye was not in the line of vision of Alisson and did not make an move that influenced an player."

The Reds were saved by the referees and video review 120 seconds following when the striker believed he had doubled Forest's lead.

Ibrahima Konaté, who suffered a dreadful match, made an weak try to deal with an Ibrahim Sangaré's ball and directed the ball against the forward, who handled before placing the net of the goalkeeper's posts. Madley, in contact with his assistant, disallowed the effort for a illegal use of hand that various footage found it hard to confirm or deny. The Premier League said: "The ruling of disallowed strike was reviewed and upheld by the video assistant – with it deemed that the player unintentionally touched the ball before scoring."

Follow-up score widens advantage

So much for the reprieve. Within seconds of the restart the midfielder failed to stop a ball towards the defender inside the Anfield box. The former Liverpool defender evaded from his defender and presented Forest's second on a silver platter for fellow full back Savona, who found the goalkeeper's roof of the net with a composed placed shot.

Strategic changes prove ineffective

Liverpool's coach made changes, replacing Konaté with the forward after the 55th minute and pairing the Les Bleus forward with the Swede. That experiment persisted just less than a quarter-hour before Isak was substituted following another ineffective performance. the winger and Ngumoha were further thrown into the Liverpool attack but inefficiency in play and resolute visitors' defense kept the Reds at distance.

Concluding blow wraps up the victory

Forest demonstrated the precision and incisiveness that the home team were missing in the opposition half to put the contest {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively