Jota rescues point for Liverpool in top of the table clash with Nottingham Forest: Five things we learned | OneFootball

‘Arne Slot it’s happening again’ sang the Nottingham Forest fans, and they were correct until the Liverpool manager answered them with an inspired substitution.

Forest inflicted the only defeat that Slot’s Liverpool have suffered in the Premier League this season, but they were unable to secure a memorable double over the league leaders thanks to Diogo Jota’s equaliser.

Chris Wood’s early opener gave Forest a lead that they held for almost an hour, before Jota equalised off the bench. Both sides threatened to find a winner but ultimately shared the points.

At the start of the season, not many people would have expected Liverpool to be six points clear at the top of the table during Slot’s first campaign in charge. Even fewer would have predicted that Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest to be just six points back and chasing them down.

Here are five things we learnt from the top of the table clash…

Slot’s super subs combine

By the 65th minute, Liverpool were yet to register a shot on target and so Slot turned to his bench, sending on Kostas Tsimikas and Jota. Tsimikas headed straight to the corner flag and his first involvement in the game was to deliver a great set-piece. The corner was met and converted by the head of Jota, who Slot touted to have a big impact in the second half of the season, with his first touch of the night. Slot’s substitutions combined just 22 seconds after entering the action, and their instantaneous impact had Liverpool right back in the game.

Forest continue to fly

Nuno’s side have already proven that they can mix it with the best of them and tonight was another example of that. They remain the only side to have bested Slot’s Liverpool in the Premier League and pushed the league leaders all the way again tonight. Nuno will not entertain any talk of a title race but the longer their terrific form continues, the more possible it looks. Although the title may well be a bridge too far for, they are certainly well positioned to make a real push for a top-four finish. Competition will be fierce but Forest have shown that they can hold their own.

Salah squanders chances

Tonight was a rare match where Mohamed Salah did not dictate the result of the game. The Egyptian has been in incredible form but he failed to influence the match with either a goal or an assist tonight. It was Salah’s first Premier League game without a goal involvement in his last 12, a remarkable run stretching back to October. The winger had a flurry of chances late on, and was unlucky not to find the net in the 88th minute. He forced a great save out of Matz Sels and from the following corner, he had an effort cleared off the goal line. One game off should not be too much cause for concern though, and it is likely that the Egyptian will be back firing at the weekend.

Wood’s renaissance continues

Chris Wood has been in the form of his life this season, and he found the back of the net again tonight. The New Zealand international has already tallied 13 goals in this Premier League campaign and is showing no sign of slowing down. He has been one of the surprise stories of the season.

Liverpool starting to slip?

It would be a dramatic over-reaction to suggest that Liverpool are in trouble based on a pair of draws. However it is worth noting that this is the first time in his tenure that Slot has gone two league games without a victory. Defeating League Two Accrington Stanley is the only win that the Reds have had in their last four in all competitions. With speculation continuing to run rampant around the future of their stars, is their any possibility that they may have a turn in form?