As Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest in a loopy sport at Anfield, the media selected to concentrate on totally different elements of the Reds’ efficiency.
Liverpool’s assault impressed and their defence, effectively, didn’t.
Diogo Jota‘s brace and Mo Salah‘s winner have been sufficient to see Liverpool throughout the road as they gained a second sport in succession.
Not all the pieces was rosy, although, because the Reds moved as much as seventh within the Premier League.
Right here’s how the media reacted to Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
Salah simply doesn’t cease
Neil Jones of GOAL sang Salah’s praises because the Egyptian scored his 183rd aim for Liverpool:
“At Leeds he [Salah] turned the Premier League‘s all-time main scorer of left-footed objectives, surpassing Fowler’s file of 106, and right here he moved degree with the previous Reds’ No.9 because the sixth highest goalscorer within the membership’s historical past.
“Fowler was a powerful centre-forward and a scientific finisher, however his 183 strikes got here in 369 matches – Salah’s have arrived in 298, and been accompanied by 69 assists and each main trophy potential. If that doesn’t communicate to his greatness, nothing will.
“Most significantly, for Salah and for Liverpool, his aim right here delivered three treasured factors of their push for a top-four end.
“The Reds have been fairly extraordinary for a lot of this contest, however in Salah they’ve a fairly extraordinary goalscorer, one who has powered their cost for the final six years, and who’s displaying little signal of slowing down any time quickly.”
In the meantime, Steve Bates wrote for the Mirror:
“The timing of Salah’s winner in a topsy-turvy battle with Steve Cooper’s courageous Forest was the proper response to Forest making it 2-2 minutes earlier.
“It was additionally sprinkled with the identical stardust that’s enabled him to attract degree in sixth place with Anfield legend Robbie Fowler on 183 objectives within the listing of all time nice Liverpool scorers.
“And the truth that Salah has carried out it in 71 fewer video games than Fowler speaks volumes for the category and high quality of the sensible striker.”
Jota on the double
One other two objectives for Jota caught the attention of a number of journalists, Simon Stone for one. He wrote for BBC Sport:
“The second interval may barely have been extra thrilling, with the beforehand out-of-touch Jota the star of the present.
“The Portugal ahead has struggled for kind since a nasty damage within the autumn, placing a dent in his beforehand good scoring file. Certainly previous to final week’s win at Leeds United, the previous Wolverhampton Wanderers winger had not scored a membership aim in additional than a yr.
“Now he has scored greater than as soon as in successive video games for the primary time in his Liverpool profession. His opener was a poacher’s effort as Jota superior onto Fabinho‘s header throughout aim earlier than making use of a close-range end.
“He then exploited some slack Forest defending, with the guests permitting him time to carry down a looping free-kick and hearth residence with a neat end.”
Richard Jolly of the Unbiased was additionally very complimentary of the Portuguese’s performances:
“His elusiveness within the field has lengthy outlined Jota at his greatest. His drought ended, he’s beginning to pop up unchecked. His sharpness was proven by his second: he ghosted in to satisfy Robertson’s supply and produced three chic touches, along with his chest, his knee after which a left-foot volley.”
Chris Bascombe of the Telegraph contemplated how Jota may match into Jurgen Klopp‘s plans subsequent season:
“Per week in the past, there have been questions on the place Jota will match into Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool reboot when a full contingent of strikers can be found.
“The idea is Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez would be the most popular choices with Mohamed Salah by August. There are not any such ensures, Klopp arguing the period of a predictable Liverpool entrance three ended when Sadio Mane left and Roberto Firmino started his year-long farewell tour.
“Having promised the rest of this marketing campaign will probably be a taster session for subsequent season, Klopp’s religion in Jota is a sign of how ferocious the competitors for a beginning place in Liverpool’s attacking trio is turning into.
“This has been an necessary week for the Portuguese striker. He has issued a well timed and far wanted reminder he isn’t at Anfield to be an understudy.”
It wasn’t plain crusing for Liverpool
Felix Keith of the Mirror reacted to a less-than-convincing defensive show from Liverpool:
“Forest’s first aim will probably be watched again many, many instances by Liverpool’s evaluation crew. And they’ll rightly be livid with it, as a result of it was utterly avoidable.
“A throw-in near the midway line shouldn’t be leading to a aim and the benefit with which it occurred is an efficient illustration of the place the Reds’ defence is at presently. The ball was held up simply from the throw-in, laid off to an onrushing midfielder and unfold to Williams, who was in acres of area on the opposite aspect of the pitch.”
Writing for This Is Anfield, James Nalton mentioned:
“The objectives Forest scored weren’t from clear-cut probabilities, removed from it, but it surely felt typical of Liverpool’s 2022/23 season that they went in anyway.
“The primary was a speculative shot from Williams that hit Robertson and consequently evaded Alisson, despite the fact that he did get one thing on it.
“The second hit two gamers, Ibrahima Konate and Alexander-Arnold, earlier than discovering the again of the web, despite the fact that it was a well-hit volley from Morgan Gibbs-White.
“The xG on these pictures, per Infogol, was 0.03 for Willams and 0.12 for Gibbs-White – and the most important likelihood of the sport for Forest was the Brennan Johnson effort that hit the bar.”
In the meantime, Jack Lusby of This Is Anfield had his say on Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk‘s performances:
“He [Konate] a tricky battle towards sort-of former team-mate Taiwo Awoniyi, and he struggled to familiarize yourself with the Nigerian, who was a handful all through.
“Konate was higher in possession than his centre-back accomplice, notably along with his direct passing to the left flank, however he will probably be relieved to not play such a bodily presence each week.
“It was not Van Dijk’s greatest sport, as he marshalled a again line that was usually far and wide – although it may very well be argued they’re nonetheless attending to grips with this new setup.
“Like Alisson, he was a legal responsibility in possession at instances, gifting Gibbs-White a possibility early on, and fortunately Forest’s two-goal fightback in the end meant nothing.”
