Danny Murphy reveals why Vitor Pereira will be delighted with two ‘outstanding’ Nottingham Forest players
Vitor Pereira was handed a last-gasp blow in his first Premier League game in charge of Nottingham Forest when Alexis Mac Allister scored.
Liverpool were bettered for much of the game at the City Ground, but found the breakthrough in the final moments when the midfielder poked in from Stefan Ortega’s save.
Mac Allister thought he had given his team the lead in the minutes before, when Ola Aina’s attempted clearance cannoned in off the Argentine as he attempted to block it.
But the goal was ruled out when VAR ruled that the ball had hit the Liverpool man on the back of his arm.
Initial replays suggested that his later goal could have been disallowed too, with Virgil van Dijk seemingly standing in an offside position, but the semi-automated system revealed that Aina had played him on.
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Elliott Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare impress
Pereira will be well aware of the mammoth task he has on his hands in charge of Nottingham Forest, but he would have been enthused by their first half display.
The home side allowed just two shots off target in the opening 45 minutes, and took 12 shots themselves.
Callum Hudson-Odoi’s chance was the pick of the bunch, after he had been found by Ibrahim Sangare with a brilliant ball.
| Ibrahim Sangare | Vs Liverpool (H) | Elliot Anderson |
| 90 | Minutes played | 77 |
| 41/49 | Accurate passes | 53/64 |
| 1 | Chances created | 2 |
| 2 | Shots | 4 |
| 16 | Defensive contributions | 19 |
| 9/18 | Duels won | 9/14 |
With Elliot Anderson, the Ivorian formed a superb midfield pairing that constantly caused problems for Liverpool.
The pair created three chances between them, but it was their defensive work that really stood out.
Anderson and Sangare combined to make 10 tackles, 21 recoveries, and win a staggering 18 duels throughout the contest.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day on Sunday, Danny Murphy said: “He [Pereira] will, after the disappointment, watch that back and see a lot of good things from his team, especially after playing Thursday evening.
“The two central midfield boys were outstanding and dominated the game, especially in the first half. Caused Liverpool a lot of problems, with and without the ball actually.
“You can see the numbers here, they were a real plus for him, and all you can say with Forest, really, is that little lack of quality in the final third at times is hindering them. The rest of it looked really good.”
Tough games await Nottingham Forest
There will be plenty to encourage Pereira after Sunday’s display, but ultimately, it is another defeat for Nottingham Forest.
With West Ham now just two points behind the Tricky Trees, the demand for results is intensifying dramatically.
Nottingham Forest will travel to Brighton next in the Premier League, before taking on Premier League title-challengers Man City at the Etihad Stadium.
It is a difficult run-in for Pereira’s team, who will need Anderson and Sangare, among others, at their very best.