Forest Claim First Anfield Win Since 1969

Posted on by footybet
Anfield
Anfield (Credit coward_lion via Bigstockphoto)

Football is like life in that it is highly unpredictable and capable of frustrating one second and delighting the next. Many expected Liverpool to experience a season of transition under Arne Slot, with the huge gap left by Jürgen Klopp’s departure believed to be too much for the Reds to challenge for the title straight away, no matter how good the new boss.

However, heading into their game with Nottingham Forest, the Dutch manager had guided the Reds to three consecutive Premier League wins. They had scored two or more in every game, were yet to concede a goal and, prior to the international break had won 3-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Jürgen who? Transition what? Bring on Man City and Arsenal, Liverpool were ready to do battle.

Slot and his team even had the benefit of being eased back into action after the break for Nations League fixtures. Many had tipped Forest for relegation this term and despite them making a very solid start to the season – unbeaten, if uninspired – Liverpool were fully expected to beat them handsomely at Anfield. But then life and football decided to get in the way of all thoughts of easing back into things, routine home wins, long-list betting bankers, and stats about Forest not having won at Anfield in any competition since before Neil Armstrong took his giant leap for mankind and stepped onto the surface of the moon.

Forest’s Last Win at Anfield


The first moon landing took place on the 21st of July, 1969 and until Saturday the 14th of September, 2024, Forest had not tasted victory at Anfield since the February prior to Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin making history. Back then Liverpool icon Bill Shankly was the man in charge at the Reds, with fellow Scott Matt Gillies in charge of Forest. Gillies had only taken over at the City Ground in the January, with a trip to Anfield representing a daunting early test for the former Leicester player and manager.

Gillies was in many ways an influential manager, with both Shankly and Sir Matt Busby holding him in high regard. He was an innovator and an excellent tactician and whatever he did certainly worked on the day as Forest won 2-0 at Anfield. Little did they know, back then, that man would set foot on the moon, Brian Clough would guide Forest to not one, but two European Cup victories, the East Midlands side would be relegated to the third tier, and commercial space travel would become possible before Forest would again leave Anfield with a victory.

Results Since 1969

Nottingham ForestDue to Forest enduring a prolonged absence from the top flight, the clubs have not met at Anfield as often as one might think. Forest were in the old Division Two for a period in the 1970s but had returned to the top flight in time for the inception of the Premier League in 1992/93. However, they were relegated that year and until 1998/99 they rather yo-yoed between divisions.

After relegation from the top tier in 1999, the two-time European champions would not return until 2022/23. This has meant that between their two wins, some 55 years apart, they have met just 25 times at Anfield. They drew five of those fixtures, losing the other 20, giving them a loss percentage of 80%.

That stat, plus the fact that they headed to Merseyside in 2024 having been beaten in the previous six visits, would hardly have imbued the travelling Forest fans with a great deal of hope. They had suffered some heavy defeats at Anfield over the years, including a 3-0 loss in October 2023, a 5-1 defeat in October 1998, a few months before they were relegated from the EPL and a 5-0 loss in 1988. If bombastic man-management king and all-round Forest legend Clough could not earn a win at Anfield, what hope was there for Nuno Espirito Santo?

What Went Wrong for the Reds?


Slot was unhappy with the way his players used the ball during the game, claiming that they gave it away far too easily. They had 69% of the possession but their passing accuracy dropped from more than 91% in their previous home game to less than 84% here. These remain strong numbers objectively but at the level the Reds aspire to, small margins can make a big difference.

And the big issue was that it was in the final third where the passes were most often going awry. This reduced Liverpool’s opportunities to create meaningful attacks, with moves breaking down too easily and too often. Slot’s side managed an xG throughout the game of less than 1.00 (0.94), only managing five shots on target and creating just a single goalscoring moment that was statistically classed as a “big chance”.

Forest were very well organised and worked tirelessly in defence. They didn’t create a great deal but arguably had better chances than the hosts and, of course, crucially, they scored. The only goal of the game came in the 72nd minute from Callum Hudson-Odoi and it was a cracking strike too. Forest broke and a nice pass found the former Chelsea attacker in space on the left. He cut inside Conor Bradley and curled a perfect effort in off the far post from around 18 yards.

Liverpool never really came close to equalising and Forest defended resolutely. Is this a blip after an international break? Was Slot wrong to name an unchanged side, even though it meant fielding 11 players who had been in action with their national side? They certainly looked a little tired, or perhaps more accurately off the pace and it will be very interesting to see how they react.

Is the Dutch manager’s short honeymoon period over already? Liverpool are in Champions League action away against Milan on Tuesday and that will provide a very stiff test. Slot has demanded that his side play at the required intensity no matter what the situation or opponent and they will certainly need to at the San Siro if they are to avoid defeat.