The key talking points from Liverpool's clash against Nottingham Forest

Liverpool defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground on Sunday night to progress to the FA Cup semi-finals.

Diogo Jota was the hero for the Reds. The forward found the back of the net 78 minutes into the quarter-final clash.

Below are the key talking points from Liverpool's win over Forest.

Liverpool found a way

Liverpool were far from their best on Sunday night.

But, there is no denying that Forest played reasonably well, which Jota touched on post-game.

As quoted by Nottingham Post, the Portugal international told ITV the following: "Obviously it was a tough game, they are a great team. They play with a lot of intensity, they gave us a proper fight, but in the end I think we deserved to go through.

"They have one big chance from the cross, they gave us a really big challenge here tonight, their fans were outstanding. It was a really tough game but we are now into the semi-final."

Joe Gomez was solid

Gomez has not been a regular for Liverpool this season. The centre-back has only made 15 appearances for Liverpool's first-team.

But, Gomez's lack of game time did not negatively impact his performance against Forest. The Englishman started at right-back due to Trent Alexander-Arnold not being available for the match due to injury.

Gomez looked steady and solid on Sunday night. The makeshift full-back also got forward when he needed to.

To conclude, Klopp can rely on the 24-year-old to play at right-back if need be.

Kostas Tsimikas continues to impress

Tsimikas is very much Liverpool's second-choice left-back. But, whenever the Greece international has been given a chance to play this season, he has performed well.

Tsimikas has been averaging a WhoScored player rating of 7.07 across the 2021-22 club campaign.

As you can see in the footage below, the full-back also registered an assist against Forest.

Ibrahima Konate is having a fine debut season

Konate has been behind centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip in the pecking order for the entire 2021-22 campaign thus far (debut season with Liverpool).

But, similar to Tsimikas, when the Frenchman has been given an opportunity to play this season, he has taken it.

Footage of Konate's 2021-22 campaign thus far backs up the aforementioned argument. However, we are here to focus on his performance against Forest more than anything.

The 22-year-old centre-back was composed right throughout his 90-minute display on Sunday night.

Also, Konate gave his matchday shirt to a young Red after the match, which highlights that the club has acquired not only a good player, but also a nice person.

Liverpool certainly possess a central defender that is ready to play for the club in the long-term, which is obviously exciting.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's frustrations were obvious

Oxlade-Chamberlain made his 18th start of the 2021-22 club campaign against Forest. But, he failed to take his opportunity.

Oxlade-Chamberlain offered very little during his time on the pitch. The 28-year-old was substituted 64 minutes into the match.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was clearly frustrated when he went off. We would not be surprised if he looked to depart the club come the summer.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is simply not getting much of an opportunity at Anfield anymore, which does suggest that his future may lie elsewhere. His contract expires in June 2023.

Manchester City in the semi-finals

Liverpool will face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals.

That particular clash will be a belter. Both sides currently sit at the top of the Premier League table.

Therefore, the Reds will have to play well to progress to the final. But, in saying that, so will Manchester City.

Liverpool have not won the FA Cup since 2006, so we would love to see the club end the drought this season.

The clash between the Reds and the Citizens will take place in mid-April.