Liverpool host Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with both teams looking to reset their respective seasons and pick up their form and results.
They are both multiple times Champions of Europe and have huge fanbases, this fixture has seen some great battles throughout the years, let’s look back at the best of them.
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool, 2025
Coming into the new year, Liverpool and Forest faced off at the City Ground with both teams flying high in the league, with Liverpool searching for their 20th league title and Forest looking to get back into Europe after years in no man’s land.
Nottingham Forest opened the scoring very early, in the 8th minute, through Chris Wood. The Kiwi was played through by Anthony Elanga, with the striker slotting his shot past the helpless Alisson.
This early goal set the tone for Forest, who looked confident, organized, and dangerous on the counter or transition.
Liverpool were in full control of the match thereafter, with about 71% of the ball. However, Forest’s strong defensive structure never broke in the first half and Liverpool went into half time with much to do.
Around the 66th minute, Liverpool made a decisive double substitution, Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas came on.
Immediately after coming on, both with their first touches of the ball, Tsimikas delivered the corner and Jota rose at the back post to head home the equaliser.
That’s how the game finished but it was a fascinating clash from the first to final whistle. The opposite styles and the stakes of the match made this a great watch for the neutral.
Arne Slot’s fantastic double substitution and the teams resilience to fight back in hostile territory, made this a good result.
Looking back it also has the emotional factor of being one of Diogo Jota’s last goals and contributions to the teams title win.
It was a goal that defined the player, he wasn’t flashy, will fight for anything and everything and he never needed a second invitation to score a goal.
Liverpool 3 – 2 Nottingham Forest, 2023
The sides second meeting of the season, with Forest travelling to Anfield for the first time since October 1998.
The first half ended 0–0, with Liverpool dominating possession. According to a few different sources, Liverpool had 86% possession in the first half but couldn’t convert that control into goals.
Forest sat very deep, defended in a low block, and were reasonably disciplined, making it hard for Liverpool to break through.
The second-half was a completely different story, in 23 action packed minutes all five goals were scored.
Diogo Jota opened the scoring and scored another one to give Liverpool the lead on two occasions, Forest pegged the Reds back on both occasions leaving the score at 2-2 heading into the 70th minute when a certain Mo Salah stepped up.
Salah’s winner saw the Egyptian hold off a forest defender, allowing him to side-foot it past Keylor Navas.
This goal was particularly important, not just for the match, but personally for Mo, as it was his 183rd goal for Liverpool, moving him level with Robbie Fowler in the club’s all-time scoring charts.
For Jurgen Klopp and his team, the result was a blend of satisfaction and frustration. Satisfied with the win, but aware that his side made things harder than necessary.
It felt like a microcosm of Liverpool’s 2022–23 season: high-quality attacking moments, but defensive inconsistencies.
Nottingham Forest 1 – 0 Liverpool, 2022
Liverpool visited newly promoted Nottingham Forest, for an early kick-off. Liverpool’s shaky start to the season added fuel to the fire for the already riled up Forest fans.
Taiwo Awoniyi scored the game’s solitary goal in the second half helping his new team overcome one of his former sides.
Awoniyi used to be on Liverpool’s books, where he spent years as a youth player but never broke through, due to multiple contributing factors.It was a sort of statement that he and his team belonged in the Premier League.
It was also a reminder that even the biggest and best teams can be punished if they don’t capitalise on dominance.
It was Forest’s first home league win over Liverpool since March 1996. With that being said, The City Ground has historically, been a nightmare ground for the Reds, as they had never won a Premier League game at the famous old ground.
The result highlighted some vulnerabilities for LFC in what would turn out to be a tough season for Jurgen Klopp and his men.
Symptoms from this game of signs to come for LFC; injuries in attack, a lack of cohesion and issues breaking down low-block teams.
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest, 1998
Managed by Gérard Houllier and Roy Evans, who were still in the unusual joint-manager arrangement, Liverpool were talented but inconsistent, with a squad including young stars like Michael Owen and experienced forwards like Robbie Fowler.
It was an exciting opening quarter of the game with Liverpool taking the lead on two occasions with Forest pegging them back just once in what turned out to be a tiny slither of hope in a thrashing.
Michael Owen opened the scoring with Steve McManaman giving the Reds the lead that they then ran away with.
A young Michael Owen then went on to score three more goals in the match including a penalty. Four goals for the rapidly rising star, a sign of the player he was and would become. Owen’s pace, confidence, and finishing were central to the match’s narrative.
Although Liverpool were inconsistent, moments like this illustrated why Owen was considered Europe’s brightest young striker.
This game was a snapshot of where the two clubs were at this point in time, Liverpool, talented but chaotic both on and off the field.
Nottingham Forest a once great club sliding toward relegation and years outside the Premier League.