Nottingham Forest Chase Unprecedented Victory at Anfield
Nottingham Forest head to Anfield chasing something they have never done before: three league wins in a row on Liverpool turf. For a club that went more than half a century without a victory there, it is a remarkable twist in the story.
This time, though, the backdrop is different. Both teams are still learning the language of new managers, still wrestling with fresh ideas and old habits.
Iraola’s Liverpool still wide open
Andoni Iraola’s Premier League debut in the Liverpool dugout ended with late drama and a point at St James’ Park, but the 2-2 draw with Newcastle also ripped the cover off a glaring problem.
Liverpool dominated the ball – 61% possession, 27 shots to Newcastle’s 13 – yet looked horribly exposed whenever Newcastle broke at speed. Every turnover felt dangerous. Some of them were fatal.
Anthony Elanga’s opener told the story in just 10 seconds: Newcastle won the ball in their own box and, in a blur, Elanga was celebrating. The second goal was even more damning. Malick Thiaw stepped in, won possession, and 12 seconds later Joe Willock was rolling his finish past Alisson with authority.
Those two moments were not isolated lapses. They pushed Liverpool’s tally of goals conceded from fast breaks in all competitions since the start of last season to nine – more than any other Premier League side. For a team that wants to squeeze high, press hard and suffocate opponents, that statistic cuts deep.
Now Iraola walks out at Anfield for his first competitive home game with a proud record to protect. Liverpool have not lost an opening league fixture at home since 2003. Seventeen wins and five draws from 22 such matches underline just how hostile this ground usually is for visitors on day one.
But Forest are not usual visitors anymore.
Forest’s new Anfield habit
For decades Anfield was a graveyard for Forest ambitions. From 1969 onwards, they left empty-handed in every competition. That changed in September 2024 with a 1-0 win that felt seismic. Two months later, they went back and ripped Liverpool apart 3-0.
Those results weren’t quirks of the calendar. Since Forest returned to the Premier League in 2022, no club has beaten Liverpool in the league more often than they have. Three wins in that period is a statistic that will not be lost on either dugout.
This is the context in which Forest arrive again, this time under Oliver Glasner, with the chance to complete an unprecedented hat-trick at one of English football’s most intimidating arenas.
Glasner’s reality check and Delap’s chance
Like Iraola, Glasner is trying to drag a squad into a new era. The early signs have been harsh.
Leeds United, under Daniel Farke, handed Forest back-to-back defeats in the space of four days, knocking them out of the League Cup and leaving them goalless across both games. It was the kind of double blow that strips away any early-season optimism.
Glasner did not sugar-coat it after Tuesday’s cup exit. He spoke of a team still scarred by “nine months of relegation battle”, of losing “maybe your top midfielder (Elliot Anderson)”, and of the reality that he and his players have been together for only six weeks. No magic tricks. No short cuts. Just work.
That theme ran through his selection for the league opener. In a summer far quieter than Forest have grown used to in the transfer market, not a single new signing made his first XI. Continuity, for now, has trumped revolution.
One arrival, though, changes the mood. Liam Delap, signed for a club-record £50m, offers a focal point and a fresh storyline. His time at Stamford Bridge yielded just one goal in 28 league games, a brutal return for a young striker trying to break through. Now he gets a reset, and Forest get a forward with something to prove.
Goals on the road, questions at the back
If Forest need belief, they can find it in their away form in front of goal. They have scored in each of their last 10 Premier League away games – the longest current run in the division. Fifteen goals in their last five league matches on the road underline their threat when they break loose.
Set that against Liverpool’s vulnerability to fast transitions and the pattern almost writes itself. Iraola’s side want to push high, pin teams in and unleash wave after wave of attacks. Forest are comfortable absorbing pressure and striking in the space that opens up behind.
Anfield will be loud. Liverpool’s record in opening home games demands respect. Yet Forest arrive with history on their side, goals in their boots and a £50m striker desperate to restart his career.
If Liverpool don’t fix their weakness on the break, are they walking straight into Forest’s favourite script?
