Liverpool, the current leaders of the Premier League, ended their streak of bad luck at City Ground by defeating Nottingham Forest 1-0 and extending their advantage at the top to four points.
An intense and fast-paced match seemed certain to conclude goalless, but in the ninth minute of extra time in the second half, Darwin Nunez, who had just returned from injury, scored with a header to secure Liverpool’s first-ever Premier League victory over the disappointed Tricky Trees.
Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endo, who were previously injured, were deemed fit to be on the visitors’ bench. Divock Origi captained the Forest team, which included Taiwo Awoniyi, a former Liverpool player.
The Belgian player, known for scoring memorable goals when playing for Anfield, came close to scoring against his former team, Liverpool, in the 14th minute. His shot from 25 yards just missed the upper corner of the goal.
At the beginning of the battle, Luis Diaz attempted a shot that almost missed the goal due to a deflection. Shortly after, Caoimhin Kelleher, who was in good form, made an impressive save with his feet to stop Anthony Elanga during a one-on-one situation in the 22nd minute.
Liverpool began to have more opportunities to score as a result of the Irishman’s outstanding save, but they were unsuccessful with all eight of their attempts in the first half.
Both managers did not make any substitutes at the beginning of the second half. However, Klopp made the first move by replacing Andy Robertson and Bobby Clark with the recently recovered Endo and Nunez shortly before the 60-minute mark.
Nunez, a well-known disruptor, quickly became involved in the action by hitting the side net from a sharp angle in the 62nd minute. Cody Gakpo had a similar fate eight minutes later.
Between those two chances for the Reds, Elanga missed a wide shot in the 66th minute, and the fast-paced action continued as Nunez’s header went over the crossbar in the 73rd minute.
Kelleher once again saved Liverpool at the City Ground by stopping a shot from Callum Hudson-Odoi in the 81st minute. Both teams were given eight more minutes to score a winning goal.
In the sixth minute of added time, Sels made an outstanding stop from Nunez’s deflected header, just before Forest’s demand for a penalty was denied, causing frustration for the home team.
In the ninth minute of added time, Liverpool had one final set-piece opportunity. Despite Forest’s partial defense, Alexis Mac Allister managed to keep the ball in play at the edge of the penalty area. He then sent a cross into the box for Nunez, who made contact with the ball to score past the goalkeeper, Sels.
Wild celebrations erupted behind the Belgian’s goal as Liverpool temporarily secured a commanding lead at the top. In contrast, a devastated Forest, with first-team coach Steven Reid sent off during heated scenes, are just four points above the relegation zone in 17th place.
Nottingham Forest will travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on March 10, while Liverpool will play the opening leg of their last-16 encounter against Sparta Prague on Thursday in their pursuit of Europa League success.
