Another day, another disastrous Liverpool performance.
It looked as though Jurgen Klopp's side may have turned a corner in recent times, winning their last three games in all competitions, including that big victory against Manchester City last weekend.
However, all of the same old issues reared their head against Nottingham Forest this afternoon. Not only did they look vulnerable at the back, but they failed to create any real chances of note from open play.
They would squander some good opportunities from set-pieces, with Virgil van Dijk scuppering a number of excellent openings. However, they could not argue with the final scoreline as Forest ran out 1-0 winners thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi's second half strike.
Right place at the right time for Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi! 💥
The City Ground has ERUPTED! pic.twitter.com/1O52sduvcZ— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2022
This was a big three points for the home side in their quest to stay in the Premier League, while the result will also raise serious questions about Liverpool moving forward.
Jurgen Klopp hesitant to give Nottingham Forest credit for win
There is no doubt that injuries are hampering Liverpool at the moment. They were missing Thiago Alcantara and Darwin Nunez today, adding to what is already a lengthy absentee list.
In saying that, they should have more than enough quality to be winning games such as this one. They missed a number of big chances from set-pieces, an area where Forest struggled for much of the game. That included this effort from van Dijk deep into injury time.
This save is UNREAL! 🤤
The 92nd minute as Liverpool pile on the pressure, Dean Henderson does this to deny Virgil van Dijk.
Take a bow 👏 pic.twitter.com/Pz5doHlfZA— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2022
It was an excellent save from Dean Henderson, but the header should have been much better.
Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Jurgen Klopp admitted his side did not perform to a high enough level. However, he stopped short of giving Nottingham Forest full credit for the win due to the number of headers his team made a mess of over the course of the 90 minutes.
"It's a game you win by doing the right stuff again and again, but obviously, we didn't..." 🙄
Jürgen Klopp left deflated after Liverpool fail to convert their chances against Forest
"You have to put the game to bed!" 👊
🎙️ @TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/Prm7A5zKzs— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 22, 2022
It's the Premier League, [all teams] are all good and all fine.
Giving a team six clear cut chances from a set-piece? I'm not sure where I should put the praise on to be honest.
The things they did, they are a great team, and Steve [Cooper] is a fantastic manager. But for us today, we have to win here. We didn't, so credit to Nottingham.
But the situation was us against the goalie or us against ourselves, not us against Nottingham. Nobody defended Bobby [Firmino], nobody defended Virgil [van Dijk] in these moments. They were just free, but we didn't use it.
If we used all of them, then you'd ask a different question.
This result has given Forest's safety hopes a much needed jolt, also acting as a massive reality check for Liverpool. After a week in which it looked as though they were getting their season back on track, this served as a timely reminder of just how far off the pace they are at the moment.
Considering that most of the other 'big six' clubs are picking up points on a consistent basis at the moment, they will need to turn things around quickly if they are to finish in the top four come the end of the season.
As for a title challenge, that ship could well have already sailed.
SEE ALSO: Rio Ferdinand Critical Of Ten Hag's Communication With Ronaldo
