NOT OUT OF THE WOODS: Forest Frustrate Off-Form Reds

​Liverpool’s wait for a first win of the season goes on as they drew their second game of the new campaign 2–2 against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

​Prior to kickoff, the stadium paid tribute to Liverpool legend Kevin Keegan following his sad passing in July.
​It was a relatively cagey start from both sides, although Liverpool did have a brilliant early opportunity when a cross into the box evaded any potential runners and drifted away to safety for Forest.
​Forest soon created chances of their own and could have taken the lead were it not for some determined defending from Jérémy Jacquet.

​Dan Ndoye saw a header go wide of the post, but the 25-year-old didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity—and this time he took it. He was on the receiving end of a ball from Morgan Gibbs-White before firing into the far corner past a helpless Alisson. Replays showed the Forest scorer was onside by the slimmest of margins.

​Very few players in the league will feel they need a goal as much as Florian Wirtz, and he thought he’d got one only for VAR to intervene, ruling it out for an offside in the build-up against Jeremie Frimpong; by—you guessed it—the slimmest of margins.
​As the half wore on, Liverpool looked the side more likely to score, but they just couldn’t find the back of the net. First, Wirtz saw a header denied by a spectacular save from Matz Sels, before Víctor Muñoz fired an effort that narrowly missed the top corner, just clearing the bar.

​Liverpool began the second half with a couple of quick chances, but their overall play was somewhat sloppy and they couldn’t seem to properly click. ​The visitors had a great chance of their own when a low ball was played across the box. It would have been perfect for Morgan Gibbs-White had he not stopped his run too early, leaving the midfielder to watch as the ball sailed past him and away to safety.
​Cody Gakpo has been the subject of transfer speculation this summer, but he continued to cause problems for the Forest defence and played a key role in the Liverpool equaliser. The Dutchman made a lovely break out wide before delivering a brilliant ball to Alexander Isak, who hammered it past Sels for his first goal of the season. Liverpool fans will be hoping the Swede can find a strong run of form after injury plagued his debut year at Newcastle prior to his big-money move.

​Liam Delap came on in the 66th minute and was almost instantly involved. Two minutes later, the 23-year-old played a ball into the area for Neco Williams, who went through on goal before being fouled by Alisson, winning a penalty for his side and earning the Brazilian goalkeeper a yellow card. Delap certainly has the potential to be a key player for Forest after his £50m move from Ipswich, and if he continues to put in a shift like he did after coming on, he could easily become a fan favourite at The City Ground.
​Gibbs-White stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty into the bottom corner to restore the visitors' lead—arguably no less than they deserved.

The home side needed something quickly. They slowly began to force chances but still struggled to break through, and it looked set to be a disappointing afternoon for Andoni Iraola’s side.
​However, with 8 minutes left, Florian Wirtz found space in midfield and played a perfectly weighted pass to Víctor Muñoz. The young winger turned cleanly in space before firing high into the back of the net to notch his first goal of the season.
​The home side had a great opportunity to snatch the victory with a few minutes left when Dominik Szoboszlai saw his free-kick curl just wide of the right-hand post.

​The game somewhat petered out in the final stages, with both sides giving away fouls in opposing halves.
​Andoni Iraola’s search for a first win continues, and team performances will need to improve quickly if Liverpool are to keep pace with the expected title contenders.

​Meanwhile, for Forest, the performance was a step up from their opening-round display against Leeds. If they continue to build on this momentum, Oliver Glasner’s side should have enough quality to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.
​Up next, Liverpool face a trip to Portman Road to take on newly-promoted Ipswich Town, while Nottingham Forest welcome big-spenders Tottenham to The City Ground in what promises to be an intriguing clash.