Liverpool 0 Nottingham Forest 1: Hudson-Odoi gives Forest first win at Anfield since 1969

Callum Hudson-Odoi became the first player to score against Arn Slot’s Liverpool in the Premier League, and it was a knockout.

Nottingham Forest won at Anfield for the first time since February 1969 as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side pulled off a completely unexpected victory.

Now Manchester City are the only team to maintain their perfect record in the Premier League, and Liverpool must get back to square one after a shock end to Slot’s fine start at Anfield.

Greg Evans and James Pearce break down the key points of the talk….

Slot’s first setback… How will his team react?

Slot left the pitch looking angry after Liverpool’s perfect start to the season at Anfield fell to defeat.

This setback is considered the first major blow that the coach has received after his move from Feyenoord this summer.

Liverpool’s performance was poor, and despite a number of tactical changes throughout the match, it was the man on the bench who had the master plan.

Nottingham Forest dominated Liverpool in the first half and then held on after going ahead to record their first win at Anfield in 55 years.

Slot, who had managed everything so well in these first weeks of the season, had no answer and could not make a turnaround. His team pressed and checked but there was no final product and in the end they ran out of steam.

After a busy run of fixtures, the Dutchman has to pick his players after the shock defeat ahead of this week’s Champions League return – his first big test in the Liverpool driver’s seat.

Greg Evans

Did the triple swap work?

Slot had been in a deep discussion with assistant Sepke Hulshof on the touchline.

The groans rose from the stands as attack after attack and the last ball failed again and again to put Liverpool out. The frustration grew as the scoreless draw continued.

Just before the hour mark, the Dutch coach took bold action by making three changes.

Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz, who were expected to miss the match after their involvement in South America, have been replaced along with Diogo Jota.

Trent Alexander-Arnold must have feared the worst when he saw Conor Bradley come on, but the second-choice skipper moved into midfield to accommodate the Northern Irishman while also bringing on Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.

But these changes did not improve Liverpool’s performance, instead making them more scattered. The lack of fluidity was worrying as promising moves repeatedly failed.

Nunez was unable to provide the attacking focal point his team needed as he failed to control the ball and it became too easy for Forest to penetrate the home side’s defence when they relied on counter-attacks.

Liverpool paid the price when Anthony Elanga passed the ball to Hudson-Odoi, who cut inside, skipped past Bradley and fired a low shot into the far corner.

Liverpool’s reaction after going behind (Karl Rijsen/Getty Images)

Slot responded with another tactical change when he went to a back three – bringing on Curtis Jones for Ibrahima Konate, while Kostas Tsimikas came on for Andy Robertson – but to no avail.

James Perse

Why did Liverpool offer so little in attack?

On a day when a single Nottingham Forest goal proved to be the difference, it was Liverpool who clearly lacked in attack.

Slot picked the same attacking line that had started the season so well, but there were no moments of magic. Liverpool had 70 per cent of possession and 34 touches in the Forest penalty area but achieved an expected goal of just 0.87.

Mohamed Salah was particularly subdued, frustrated initially by Alex Moreno in the first half and then missing the ball after the break. Jota had three shots on target but only one and was out of the game for long periods before being substituted on the hour mark.

Darwin Nunez may have been unlucky not to get a start after spending extra time in training over the past two weeks due to his international suspension with Uruguay, but when he came on he was quiet and unable to find a spark.

Diaz came close to scoring for Liverpool in the first half but was denied by the post, while his replacement Cody Gakpo had little impact as the home side chased the game late in the match.

Federico Chiesa was not in the squad but could be needed in the upcoming matches as Liverpool look to bounce back when they face Milan in the Champions League next week.

Greg Evans

What did Arn Sloat say?

“It was disappointing,” Slot told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I think we did what we had to do without the ball – we didn’t concede a goal on any counter-attack except the one that led to the goal. But you have to do a lot better if you have 70 per cent of the ball; you have to create a lot more chances than the two, three or four we had. It would have helped if some of the individual performances were a little bit better today.”

What’s next for Liverpool?

Tuesday, September 17: Milan (A), Champions League, 8pm BST, 3pm EDT

Saturday, September 21: Bournemouth (H), Premier League, 3pm BST, 10am EDT

Recommended reading

(Top photo: Carl Reisen/Getty Images)