Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool f.c.: What Really Happened at Anfield

Football is a funny old game, isn't it? If you’d told a Liverpool fan back in August that by mid-January 2026 they’d be sitting in fourth place, looking up at a 14-point gap behind Arsenal, they’d have probably laughed you out of the pub. But then came the match that basically broke the internet in November. When we talk about Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool f.c., we aren't just talking about another fixture on the calendar anymore. We’re talking about a 3-0 demolition at Anfield that honestly felt like a fever dream.

Sean Dyche took his Forest side into the lion's den and didn't just survive; he basically rearranged the furniture. It was the biggest win Forest had ever recorded at Anfield. For a club that spent decades trying to just get back into the same league as the Reds, doing the double over them—including that 1-0 win earlier in the season—is the stuff of legend.

The Day the Kop Went Quiet

The atmosphere at Anfield on November 22, 2025, was weird from the jump. You could feel the tension. Liverpool, the reigning champions, looked leggy. Forest looked like they’d been drinking nothing but espresso for a week.

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Murillo. That's the name Liverpool fans will be seeing in their nightmares for a while. The center-half pounced on a loose ball from a corner in the 33rd minute and just absolutely lashed it home. No chance for Alisson. Then, literally seconds after the halftime oranges, Nicolo Savona doubled it. By the time Morgan Gibbs-White swept in the third at the 78-minute mark, the exodus toward the exits had already started.

It wasn't a fluke. It wasn't a "park the bus" job. Forest outfought them. They outran them. They looked like the team that actually wanted to be there. Arne Slot looked like a man who’d just realized he left the oven on at home—pure panic.

Why Does This Keep Happening?

It’s tempting to say Liverpool are just having a bad run, but there's more to it. The injury list is basically a "Who's Who" of world-class talent.

• Conor Bradley: Out for the season with a knee injury. Huge blow.
• Florian Wirtz: The big summer signing has been struggling with muscle issues.
• Jeremie Frimpong: Hamstring.
• Diogo Jota: His absence is still felt deeply by the squad, both on and off the pitch.

Forest, on the other hand, have found this weird, gritty identity under Dyche. They aren't the prettiest team to watch, but they’re effective. They’ve moved out of the relegation zone and into 17th, while Liverpool are clinging to that fourth spot for dear life.

The Historical Weight of Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool f.c.

You have to remember, this isn't some new-age rivalry. This goes back to the Brian Clough days. In the late 70s, these two were the undisputed kings of English football. They finished as the top two in the First Division in both '78 and '79.

Forest fans of a certain age will tell you that beating Liverpool used to be a regular occurrence. But then the decades of darkness happened. Before the 2024-25 season, Forest hadn't won a league game at Anfield since 1969. To go from that to a 3-0 win in late 2025? It’s arguably one of the most significant shifts in momentum we've seen in the modern Premier League era.

The Tactical Nightmare for Arne Slot

Slot’s system relies on control. He wants the ball. He wants the high press. But against Forest, that press looked like a sieve.

Every time Liverpool lost the ball in the middle of the park—which was a lot, thanks to a frustrated Ryan Gravenberch—Forest were off. Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi (when fit) provide this terrifying pace on the break. In the 1-1 draw back in January 2025, Chris Wood showed that even a more "traditional" striker could tear holes in the Liverpool defense if the service was right.

Honestly, Liverpool look vulnerable to the counter-attack in a way we haven't seen in years. Virgil van Dijk admitted it himself after the 3-0 loss, saying the goals they’re conceding are "far too easy."

What’s Next for the Two Sides?

As we head deeper into January 2026, the narratives couldn't be more different. For Liverpool, the January transfer window is now a rescue mission. They’re reportedly accelerating plans to bring in a new right-back because the Conor Bradley injury has left them completely exposed. There's even talk of an "emergency striker" because Alexander Isak hasn't been hitting the heights everyone expected since his arrival.

For Forest, the goal is simple: survival. But after beating the champions 3-0, "survival" feels like a low bar. They have the City Ground rocking, and their defensive unit, led by Murillo and Milenkovic, looks genuinely solid.

Upcoming Fixtures and Stakes:

1. Nottingham Forest: They need to turn these big-game heroics into consistent points against the bottom half of the table.
2. Liverpool: They have to find a way to stop the rot before they slide out of the Champions League spots entirely. Brentford and Newcastle are breathing down their necks.

If you’re planning on watching the next installment of Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool f.c. on February 21, 2026, don't expect a one-sided affair. The "Tricky Trees" have the psychological edge now. Anfield isn't the fortress it used to be, and the City Ground is a place where giants go to stumble.

Keep an eye on the injury reports leading up to the February clash. If Liverpool don't get some bodies back in defense, or if Forest keep their key men like Gibbs-White healthy, we could be looking at another massive upset.

Check the updated Premier League table and injury news before placing any bets. The current form suggests that the historical gap between these two has narrowed significantly, and the "champions" label doesn't carry the weight it did six months ago.