“This was no fluke”, “Slot’s honeymoon period is over” - Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton react to Liverpool's loss against Nottingham Forest
Premier League icon Alan Shearer reacted after Liverpool suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, September 14. BBC Sport columnist Chris Sutton also chimed in, claiming Arne Slot's honeymoon period is now over after the Dutchman was handed his first loss as the Reds' manager.
Liverpool had a strong first half but could not find a way past Forest's resilient defense. Slot turned to his substitutes in the second half and even changed his formation to a three-man defense as they probed for a winner. However, the visitors took the lead against the run of play via Callum Hudson-Odoi's brilliant curler in the 72nd minute, following a counter-attack.
Shearer told BBC Radio 5Live (via Liverpool World):
“Nottingham Forest were outstanding. The way they defended as a team was magnificent and this was no fluke. They stopped Liverpool every time they got into the box. Then they went and hit them on the break, what a finish from Callum Hudson-Odoi. What a start to the season they've had.”
Sutton, meanwhile, said:
“Arne Slot's honeymoon period is over, plenty of work to do. All credit to Forest, they were on fire. They defended brilliantly and then carried that threat. Nuno Espírito Santo making positive substitutions. Forest with the three points and they will be made up with the manner of their performance.”
The Reds will aim to bounce back in their next fixture in the UEFA Champions League against AC Milan on Tuesday, September 17.
"Ball possession not good enough" - Liverpool boss Arne Slot reacts after Nottingham Forest loss
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has given his verdict on his side's 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. The Reds suffered their first home league defeat to Forest since February 1969, snapping their unbeaten 25-game streak.
Slot told the club's official website:
"I think the only thing we had influence on was ball possession because they played a lot of long balls, so if you then take the ball back you need to go past 11 players. We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three [or] four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession."
He added:
"If you play so much in their half, we need to do much better. We lost the ball so many times in simple situations. That is, I think, the main story from the game: ball possession not good enough."
Liverpool dominated possession with 70 percent of the ball compared to Forest's 30 percent. They also completed 495 passes with an accuracy of 83 percent, whereas the visitors mustered just 178 with an accuracy of 68 percent.
Despite this, the Reds could not do much with the ball, landing 14 shots with only five being on target (xG of 0.87). In contrast, Forest had five shots in total with three being on target, with an xG of 0.60.