Football

Alisson Says Nottingham Forest ‘Only Wanted To Defend And Play Long Balls’ As Liverpool Are Beaten 1-0 At Anfield

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Cai Parry
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Cai Parry Sports Editor

Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.

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Published14 Sep 2024

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Alisson Liverpool Nottingham Forest

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has claimed that Nottingham Forest ‘only wanted to defend and play for the long ball’ after the Midlands club secured a mighty 1-0 win over Arne Slot’s side at Anfield.

Callum Hudson-Odoi was the hero for Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, as his curled effort from the left-hand side ensured a 1-0 victory over Liverpool, the club’s first win at Anfield since 1969.

Forest had set up brilliantly throughout the match, as they minimised the hosts’ chances and massively frustrated Arne Slot‘s side, heading into the break with the scores even at 0-0.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s men continued to defend their goal excellently, with the Portuguese manager admitting post-match that his side were ‘against the ropes’, but the positive introductions of both Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga enabled the Midlands-based club to find that one moment of magic to secure an unlikely victory.

That moment came in the 72nd minute, when the aforementioned Hudson-Odoi cut in from the left onto his favoured right foot and curled into the far-right corner, leaving Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson stranded.

The win sees Nottingham Forest maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign with two wins and two draws, while it handed new Reds boss Slot his first defeat since arriving in Merseyside over the summer.

Alisson: Nottingham Forest “Only Wanted To Defend”

In response to the defeat, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson claimed that Nottingham Forest only wanted to defend and that they were playing for the long ball.

“It was a shame, losing points at home is not good at all, but the opponent today only wanted to defend and play for the long ball.

“We gave them that too easily when they scored, it was poor defensively from us. We couldn’t create much, we had a lack of quality today, we needed more energy. It is three points we have lost today unnecessarily.

“All the opportunities we had were not clear enough and they defended great, they threw themselves in front of the ball.”

Winning goalscorer Hudson-Odoi, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of securing three points for Nottingham Forest and also praised the ‘crazy’ Anfield atmosphere.

“We knew as subs we would come on at a certain point, we had fresh legs to run in behind and cause them problems. The manager told us to make an impact and we are buzzing with the win.

“I saw the space in the far corner and as soon as I hit it I knew there was a good chance of it going in. We started well and we ended well.

“It is a massive win, the atmosphere is crazy. We made sure we had the right mentality from the begining. 55 years [since Forest last won at Anfield] and now it’s done but we can’t rely on this.”