Alan Shearer reveals how Forest frustrated Liverpool

Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the season against Nottingham Forest on Saturday when Forest emerged as 1-0 victors at Anfield.

Arne Slot had enjoyed a brilliant start to life in Merseyside, winning all three of Liverpool's opening Premier League matches without conceding a goal, but Nuno Espírito Santo’s Nottingham Forest ruined the party.

In front of a record-breaking crowd at Anfield, Callum Hudson-Odoi delivered the Reds their first defeat of the season and spoiled Slot’s perfect start.

The loss marks a difficult start to a run where Liverpool will play seven times in just 21 days, including a visit to AC Milan, the beginning of the Reds’ Carabao Cup defence and a trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace.

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What went wrong for Liverpool?

Speaking on BBC One’s Match of the Day, Alan Shearer suggested that it might not be a case of what went wrong for Liverpool but instead what went right for Forest.

“[Forest] were absolutely magnificent from start to finish, they had a game plan and it worked to perfection. We’ll mention the back four, in particular the two fullbacks, who had a great game.”

Forest defended well against Liverpool, managing to stay in the game despite Slot’s side having 69.1% possession of the ball.

“There was just no way through, no spaces, no gaps in the middle, they were really tight really compact and that was a constant all afternoon and Liverpool just got so frustrated with how well Forest were playing and how hard they were making it” Shearer added.

Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal of the game, a stunning strike from outside of the area in the 72^nd minute and, despite some bold tactical changes, Liverpool couldn’t recover.

Liverpool dominated possession and took 14 shots to Forest’s five, but Shearer felt like it was a deserved victory.

“This was no fluke, it was absolutely deserved, what a win for [Nuno] and what an afternoon for their supporters.”

What’s next for Liverpool?

Although the loss will hurt Liverpool’s momentum, it leaves them only three points below Manchester City at the top of the table and it is still very early in the season.

Liverpool’s next game comes on Tuesday 17 September, when the Reds will visit the San Siro to take on AC Milan, and many supporters will be hoping that Slot’s team can bounce back quickly.

Federico Chiesa, who was Liverpool’s only addition this summer, is yet to make his debut for the club and could feature against AC Milan.

Slot’s incredible start gave supporters a glimpse of just how good Liverpool can be under their new boss, but it may take some more time for the Dutchman to have his players performing that well on a consistent basis.