Liverpool faced off against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a victory and ensure qualification into the semifinal stage of the FA Cup. The Reds made a dominant start to the game but lacked the cutting edge in the final third as they went into the half-time break with a goalless scoreline.
The home team frustrated Jurgen Klopp’s men for a lot of the second half. However, Diogo Jota finally broke the deadlock in the 78th minute with a poacher’s finish from close range. It was enough to give Liverpool a narrow 1-0 win on the road.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the clash against Nottingham Forest.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian goalie came to Liverpool’s rescue on a few occasions and secured a solid clean sheet away from home.
RB: Joe Gomez – 7/10
Gomez kept things solid at the back and made some important recovering runs inside his half. He even made some overlapping runs on the right flank.
CB: Ibrahima Konate – 6.5/10
He looked a bit shaky on the defensive end of the field but did enough to keep the opposition at bay.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7.5/10
The Dutch centre-back was in complete cruise control for most of the game and performed well enough to keep a clean sheet tonight.
The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency:
Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/)
Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/)
LB: Konstantinos Tsimikas – 8/10
The Greek defender performed his defensive duties well and was always looking to get forward and cross the ball. He picked up an assist for setting up Jota’s goal with a good, improvised cross in the second half.
CM: Naby Keita – 6/10
He was mostly ineffective at the centre of the park and got replaced after the hour mark.
CM: Fabinho – 7/10
The Brazil international offered decent protection for his teammates at the back.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6.5/10
He had a few bright moments in the game but failed to register a goal during his time on the pitch.
RW: Harvey Elliott – 6/10
Elliott made one key opportunity for Gomez but had a quiet game up top.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6.5/10
The Brazilian sensation was a constant menace in the final third but missed a great chance to find the back of the net in the first half.
LW: Diogo Jota – 7.5/10
Jota had some bright moments in the game and deserves credit for scoring the opening goal in the 78th minute with an instinctive finish.
Substitutes:
LW: Luis Diaz – 6.5/10
He worked hard and made one promising run with the ball.
RW: Takumi Minamino – 6/10
Minamino was mostly tidy with his link-up play.
CM: Thiago – 6.5/10
The Spaniard gave Liverpool more control in midfield.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 6.5/10
He passed the ball quite well after coming off the bench.
