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Nottingham Forest's win at Anfield last season was a blip in an typically dominant English top division performances at Anfield for the Merseyside club. A second successive win this season, a far more convincing victory under Sean Dyche, was a clear sign of the challenges engulfing the faltering title holders.

Forest's exemplary performance

Nottingham Forest proved exemplary as they achieved their most significant triumph at the famous ground. Goals from Murillo, outstanding at each end of the pitch, Nicolò Savona and the magnificent Morgan Gibbs-White spurred a merited victory for a team that also kept a initial shutout in twenty division fixtures.

The home side's woes

The Reds, on the other hand, were a disorganized as they endured an eighth setback in eleven fixtures to slide into the bottom half of the standings. Ineffective at dead-ball situations, again, impotent in attack, as before, with Alexander Isak replaced after 68 quiet moments, and poor in defense, they failed in each phase to succumb to a second successive three-nil reverse.

Initial control without result

For 30 minutes the Reds maintained the upper hand, the occasional break from the Forest attacker excepted, but the failure to capitalize on opportunities into the tangible reward of goals cost them dearly. Mac Allister was given an early-on chance from Cody Gakpo's run into the area only for the Forest player to execute a excellent goalline clearance with his skull. The Liverpool midfielder had a another effort blocked soon after while dazzling control from the winger produced another short-distance chance for the defender. The visiting defender just did enough to put off the back into sending high.

Set-piece vulnerability hits once more

Liverpool's coach has frequently bemoaned his side's vulnerability to fast breaks and dead balls this season. There was fresh cause for complaint when Nottingham Forest took the lead through a blend of the two.

The Forest manager was surprised after Igor Jesus failed to find the midfielder in space on the counter and presented Ibrahima Konaté opportunity to intercept. The following corner caused celebratory scenes in the Forest dugout, though, when Anderson's cross glanced off the captain to the defender and the central defender fired an irresistible shot from inside the box into the back of the net. This evoked echoes of the captain's disallowed finish against the champions in the away team's initial score with the forward positioned in an offside position in front of Anfield's fit-again shot-stopper Alisson.

Video Assistant Referee calls and controversy

Predictably, the Van Dijk was swift to point out the similarities to the match official, the ref. In contrast to the full-back at the Etihad Stadium, Dan Ndoye made no apparent gesture in front of Alisson and the strike stood. The league clarified: "The on-field decision of a score was examined and upheld by VAR – with it deemed that he was outside of the sightline of the keeper and made no an move that affected an opponent."

The Reds were reprieved by the match officials and the system two minutes after when Jesus thought he had increased Nottingham Forest's advantage.

Ibrahima Konaté, who endured a poor day, made an weak attempt to remove an Sangaré's ball and deflected the ball against the forward, who brought down before finding the bottom corner of Alisson's net. Andrew Madley, in contact with his linesman, ruled out the effort for a handling that multiple footage were unable to verify or disprove. League officials said: "The decision of disallowed strike was assessed and upheld by the system – with it judged that Igor Jesus inadvertently handled the sphere before finishing."

Follow-up strike extends lead

So much for the reprieve. Within seconds of the restart Alexis Mac Allister was unable to stop a ball towards the defender inside the Anfield penalty area. The full-back turned from his opponent and set up Forest's second on a platter for fellow full back the scorer, who picked out the goalkeeper's roof of the net with a simple side-foot finish.

Tactical substitutions fail

Liverpool's coach took risks, substituting Konaté with Ekitiké after the 55th minute and pairing the France attacker alongside Alexander Isak. That experiment persisted for only a short period before Alexander Isak was substituted following one more ineffective showing. the winger and Rio Ngumoha were further thrown into the Anfield's frontline but carelessness in play and solid opposition backline kept the home side at arm's length.

Late blow seals the outcome

Forest demonstrated the skill and penetration that the home team were without in the attacking phase to put the contest {beyond doubt|out of reach|conclusively