Nottingham

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It is easy to get lost in the euphoria of Saturday. Somehow Nottingham Forest had gone 55 years without winning at Anfield - and yet we shouldn’t really focus too much on beating Liverpool in their own back yard.

Yes, it is a landmark. Yes, it is a long-standing record. Yes, not so long ago our bogey grounds were places like Barnsley and Rotherham. And yes, we should definitely celebrate it and enjoy it.

But the underlying story is the circumstances that made this possible. The gradual progression of a club that some people (again) had down for relegation at the start of the season - make no mistake, avoiding the drop is still our first goal for 2024-25 - and the mission to be winning away at other grounds nobody is expecting us to get anything from.

In our first season back in the Premier League we lost 6-0 at Manchester City and 5-0 at Arsenal. Last season, the results were a lot more competitive in most games, if not closer. But beating the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham is now something we have done in recent years.

And I have no doubt owner Evangelos Marinakis would concur that if we are to further progress, then the mentality must not be that of a plucky, small club feeding off scraps, but of a club that deserves to be at the top table with results to match.

The strategic transfer window this summer, and keeping the core of the squad together, has given the manager Nuno Espirito Santo the tools to do what we did on Saturday.

Being able to carry out a gameplan that involved being solid in midfield, before bringing on players with the quality of matchwinner Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga, proves the strength in depth we have now as well as the understanding and unity throughout the team.

Of course, the fact remains that Liverpool rarely lose at home - and this season it was finally our turn.

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Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton believes Nottingham Forest will be a "mid-table team" this season, as the Reds continued their unbeaten Premier League start with an "impressive" performance against Liverpool.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Sutton said: "To be able to bring players of that quality off the bench - who are game changers - is a massive positive.

"They now have strength and depth in the squad, but it has taken some building and it has cost Nottingham Forest a lot of money to assemble their squad.

"I think they will be a comfortable mid-table team this season, on the basis of one game at Liverpool, but their performance was that impressive."

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The Monday Night Club panel were full of praise for Nottingham Forest and head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after Saturday's fine win over Liverpool at Anfield continued their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

"They have plenty of options, a better squad, a stronger squad," said former Newcastle United and Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given.

"How many opposition managers do you see go to Anfield, it's 0-0 after an hour and they're putting on an extra midfielder and shutting up the shop with an extra defender ? He's gone: 'Hang on, I can smell something here, something even more successful.'

"He thought: 'We can make history today. I'm going to roll the dice.' He put two quick wingers on and tried and win the game. He deserves so much credit because so many managers, from so many different clubs, go to the big clubs and are happy with a draw. He's thought the opposite and went and won the game."

After guiding Forest to safety last season despite a four point deduction, New York Times journalist Rory Smith believes Nuno can bring similar success to that which he brought to Wolves during his four years at Molineux.

"To an extent, Nuno's reputation has been unduly affected by that short, unhappy stint at Spurs," added Smith. "Nuno did really, really well at Wolves. He's taken a team that wasn't dissimilar in terms of the squad to Forest.

"The way he made Wolves a well-established Premier League team was making them hard to beat, solid with two or three injections of real quality. And if you look at Forest, there's that similar sort of blueprint.

"Nuno is a really good manager at getting those sorts of teams results and I wonder if we've forgotten that a little bit because it didn't work out for him at Spurs."

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Forest fans, what do you think has made the difference so far this season?

We want to know your thoughts - is it Nuno's management, the summer transfer business, good fortune or something else?

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Manchester City are monitoring Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, but the Reds are keen to offer the midfielder a new deal. (HITC), external

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Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Steve Hodge says Nuno Espirito Santo's current squad is "lightyears ahead" of the one managed by Steve Cooper in the promotion season of 2022-23.

Forest continued their impressive unbeaten start by stunning Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday with substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi scoring a fine winner off the bench.

"That team at the end had me thinking," Hodge told BBC Radio Nottingham post-match. "People liked the promotion team that got up under Steve Cooper but I thought that this team against Liverpool is lightyears ahead of that team in terms of maturity, experience, strength, power, speed off the bench, centre forwards.

"The squad in general is packed with young-ish but very experienced players who know the game really well.

"When you win at Anfield after 55 years you enjoy the moment. Whether by hook or by crook or by luck sometimes, the odd team has come here and won.

"Forest's win wasn't about luck. It was by planning, organisation and team spirit to dig in at the end. The subs coming on made a difference, the wide players were quick, direct and both involved in the goal that mattered.

"It was the perfect away performance."

When asked if it was the most impressive display since Forest's return to the Premier League, Hodge added: "By a country mile.

"To come here and keep a clean sheet when they've got a new manager, three wins out of three and are flying.

"You can nick a win anywhere but it was about how they won. It was comfortable."

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BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.

David asked: Phil, have the pundits underestimated how well Forest will do this season given the noticeable improvement in the quality of the squad?

Phil replied: Hello, David. I may have been one of the guilty ones you mentioned. I tipped them to finish 16th in my pre-season predictions but they will already be looking much higher.

They were excellent at Liverpool on Saturday and looked like a side very much in the Nuno Espirito Santo mould from his Wolves days.

They are solid at the back, where Murillo is a class act, while Morgan Gibbs-White is another fine operator in midfield with players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga giving Forest the pace and width Nuno likes, making them dangerous on the counter attack.

James Ward-Prowse brings experience and quality to midfield while Alex Moreno is dependable at left-back. Elliot Anderson is another smart signing from Newcastle United.

It’s been a great start and a real platform to build on.

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Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says Nottingham Forest were "spot-on" everywhere on the pitch to get a win against a strong Liverpool side.

"It was perfect tactics and everything worked how it was supposed to," Reo-Coker said on the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily Podcast. "I look at this Forest side and they are now a consistent staple-side in the Premier League. They are becoming a team that are tough to face.

"Nuno could not have asked for any more from his team and to get a result at Anfield you have to be perfect. That was what they were.

"It is hard to even be critical of Liverpool because they didn't play bad. Forest were just spot on!"

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