Salah scores winner for Liverpool to end Nottingham Forest’s resistance

Steve Cooper’s despair and disbelief was plain to see. Nottingham Forest pushed Liverpool to the limit at Anfield, equalising twice and almost a third time when Brennan Johnson struck the bar, but calamitous defending at set-pieces cost them dear as Jürgen Klopp celebrated his 100th home league win as Liverpool manager.

The Forest manager left the pitch shaking his head and in apologetic mood to the travelling support following an 11th successive game without a win. A precious point in the battle to avoid relegation was tantalisingly close but the visitors undermined their claims by conceding three set-piece goals.

Diogo Jota scored twice, taking his tally to the week to four after a year without a goal previously. Forest levelled each time through former Liverpool defender Neco Williams, then Morgan Gibbs-White, only for Mohamed Salah to convert a Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick and join Robbie Fowler at sixth on Liverpool’s all-time goalscorers’ chart.

It was almost 25 years since Forest last played a league game at Anfield. Their raucous fans marked the occasion with a fine tribute to the 97 Liverpool supporters who were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough due to gross negligence by South Yorkshire police. At 3.06pm, the time the FA Cup semi-final between the two clubs was halted in 1989, Forest fans unveiled a huge banner that read: “Respect the 97. Solidarity with Survivors. No To Tragedy Chanting.” Anfield responded with warm applause all round.

Before the flurry of goals and entertainment arrived early in the second half it was a fairly tedious affair. Liverpool dominated possession to a ridiculous extent – Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson completed more passes individually than the entire Forest