Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest: *Bumper* Post-Match Analysis

Paul Tomkins, Andrew Beasley, Daniel Rhodes and other TTT regulars will give their thoughts on the match for 24 hours after the game, so the article received via email is unlikely to be the final version. There's statistics from the match and videos too.

Post-Match Thoughts

Paul Tomkins

The first half was about as big a gap as you'll see between two teams in terms of possession (at almost 90:10), with 10-1 on efforts for the Reds.

The second half showed that alehouse football is alive and well – get the ball in the mixer, put yourself about, and see what happens.

Moussa Niakhaté's long throws were about as tough as anything can be to defend, given the trajectory and the angle. The 'percentage' football almost worked for Forest as the randomness of the bounce almost always fell their way; even when the Reds won good headers, it still fell to Forest.

It's also a tactic you rarely face, and can't really prepare for. No good team would use the tactic as it's just too random, too alehouse. If the ball doesn't fall to you, you're open to a break.

Better teams will seek to open you up with good football, the kind of which led to Liverpool's own set-piece-goals. But just the act of winning a throw-in made Forest a threat in this game. And despite buying around 30 new players, if you're in a relegation battle, I guess you use whatever tactics you can.

Add a deflected first goal and a double-deflected second, and the visitors almost got something from a game in which their only quality was a long-throw. But hell, what a long throw.

Thankfully Liverpool had a week to work on their own set-plays, and that side of the game paid off; especially when other good chances were cleared off the line, put wide, or well saved.

The Reds continue their outside chance of the top four; not least with Newcastle hosting Spurs tomorrow, and Spurs also having to visit Anfield.

We've seen with Arsenal how the yips can kick in during the run-in, and maybe Newcastle and Spurs will start to feel the pressure, even if it still feels a little too late for the Reds to cash in.

There was another costly shaky pass from Alisson, which he's been racking up too many of this season (otherwise he remains majestic), but there were quite a few positives worth dwelling on.

The remaining three-quarters of my analysis and that of the others follow for subscribers only.