Liverpool drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest in Andoni Iraola’s first home Premier League game as head coach. Man, what a roller coaster debut on our own turf, where we *had* to rescue a point late!
The Backline Was an Absolute Nightmare
What was going on in the back? Alisson got completely owned for Dan Ndoye’s opener, and then, he gave away a poor penalty for Gibbs-White’s goal! Virgil van Dijk must have been absolutely fuming, and who can blame him? Our defense got cut open way too easily for Ndoye, and then Forest just won that penalty like it was nothing. Jeremie Frimpong struggled big time defensively, even if he did get into some good attacking positions. He did well in the build-up to Florian Wirtz’s disallowed goal, but that offside call stings. Kerkez? A poor display from our left-back, sloppy in possession, and he got yanked in the 71st minute. Even Jeremy Jacquet, who made a goal-saving challenge to deny Igor Jesus an early goal, had moments where he was slack and lacked discipline. This has to improve. Matz Sels, Forest’s keeper, was commanding and his punt even led to Ndoye’s goal! And that guy Igor Jesus from Forest, he caused chaos, forcing Alisson and Jacquet into big saves.
The Attack Saved Our Skins, Barely
Let’s talk about the guys who actually showed up ready to ball out. Cody Gakpo, starting down the right in what the whispers say could be his last appearance for us, was super effective. He played a lovely ball for Wirtz and then brilliantly created Alexander Isak’s equalizer. Isak himself was quiet in the first half, just six touches, zero shots, but he came alive with his ninth touch on the hour mark to get that first goal and build some confidence. Florian Wirtz was a constant menace, always posing a threat. He was so unlucky not to score, with a neat finish ruled out because Frimpong was offside and a solid header tipped over. But he got that crucial assist for Victor Munoz’s goal, didn’t he? And Munoz! Making his first Liverpool start on his preferred left flank, the Spaniard was direct. After firing wide earlier and having a penalty shout denied, he smashed a belter to level the game! Rescuing that point in front of the Kop, that’s what we needed. Alexis Mac Allister was back in the starting XI and played a sweet reverse ball for Gakpo, while Dominik Szoboszlai was solid and defensively alert. Even with Forest’s strong defense, especially Murillo who was unafraid to drive the ball, and the relentless Ola Aina, our boys found a way. James McAtee was tidy on the ball for them too, giving us fits.
This 2-2 draw for Iraola’s home debut, it’s a mixed bag. We showed serious fight to come back and snag a point, especially with Munoz’s late heroics. But the defensive lapses are a real concern and need to be sorted before the next one. We gotta keep that attacking energy high and get that backline locked down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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