Liverpool dominated the first half with 86 per cent possession but had nothing to show for it when they reached the interval, with Keylor Navas tipping a Virgil van Dijk header over and Jota heading a glorious chance wide from close range in a half where Forest’s risk averse tactics paid off.
But the Forest game plan was thrown out of the window seconds after the restart as Alexander-Arnold’s corner sparked panic in the Forest six-yard box, allowing Fabinho to head the ball back across the face of goal for Jota to convert almost on the goal line.
With a chaotic second half set into motion, Williams hauled Forest level four minutes later with his driven shot deflecting off Andy Robertson before looping over Alisson Becker. But Liverpool would produce an immediate response as Jota had the freedom of the area to control Robertson’s floated free-kick on his chest before volleying in his second.
After Jota was denied a hat-trick by a fingertip save from Navas, which tipped his header over the bar, Forest levelled up for a second time as Gibbs-White volleyed in a superb equaliser of his own in front of a joyous away end.
Yet again those celebrations were short-lived as Salah joined Fowler on 183 Liverpool goals by gathering Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick and finding the net via the frame of the Forest goal.
Still Liverpool failed to close the back door and their former striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who scored the winner against at the City Ground in October, saw an overhead kick graze the crossbar before Johnson went even closer by rattling the woodwork.
Man of the Match – Diogo Jota
After a run of 20 Premier League games without a goal, Diogo Jota has scored four goals in his last two appearances for Liverpool, and the first Reds player to net at least two goals in successive games in the competition since Mohamed Salah in November 2017.
