Liverpool suffered another defeat on Saturday, as goals from Murillo (£5.3m), Nicolo Savona (£4.5m) and Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m) secured three points for Nottingham Forest.
Here are our Scout Notes from Anfield.
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 12: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus + ‘DefCon’ points
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LIVERPOOL LOSE AGAIN
Liverpool had 74.5% possession against Forest on Saturday; however, they were only able to create one Opta-defined ‘big chance’ for Alexis Mac Allister (£6.3m), marking a new low for their season.
The reigning champions have now suffered defeats in six of their last seven Premier League matches, leaving them in the bottom half of the table.
Ineffective up front and disorganised at the back, Forest netted the opener from a set-piece, with recurring issues once again evident at Anfield.
“We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set-piece again.
“We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It’s a very difficult situation at the moment.” – Virgil van Dijk
SZOBOSZLAI AT RIGHT-BACK + WHY KONATE WAS SUBBED
Injuries haven’t helped, of course, with Conor Bradley (£5.0m) and Jeremie Frimpong (£5.7m) among those absent in Gameweek 12.
Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m) moved to right-back as a result and created a match-high five chances, although he was later shifted back into a more familiar central midfield role.
“We had to start the game with a midfielder at right full-back because both of our full-backs are injured. Joe Gomez is also a player who can play there but hasn’t trained the whole week. I don’t think he was fully ready to start this game.” – Arne Slot
Above: Liverpool’s first-half passing network in Gameweek 12
Elsewhere at the back, Alisson Becker (£5.4m) returned from injury to start in goal, but Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m) was particularly poor in front of him and substituted off in the 54th minute, with Hugo Ekitike (£8.6m) his replacement.
Ryan Gravenberch (£5.6m) was subsequently used as a makeshift centre-back, with Arne Slot explaining his decision in the aftermath.
“After I took Ibou [Konate] off, indeed we played with two midfielders in our last line. That’s true, but we also needed goals. That’s why I brought Hugo Ekitike in for Ibou to bring a player in who can score a goal and just before we conceded the 3-0, I went to a 3-3-4 because I didn’t feel after my first substitution we were able to create a lot.” – Arne Slot
Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) did at least secure defensive contribution (DefCon) points for the seventh time this season.
ISAK ANONYMOUS
While Konate has undoubtedly lost his way this season, summer arrival Alexander Isak (£10.4m) is also struggling to make an impact.
Slot handed the Sweden international a start on Saturday, but he barely touched the ball and managed just one shot on goal, staying on for only 67 minutes before he was replaced by Federico Chiesa (£6.4m).
Of the attacking trio, only Mohamed Salah (£14.2m) posed a threat with four shots.
Above: Liverpool players sorted by shots in Gameweek 12
ANOTHER GIBBS-WHITE GOAL
Rejuvenated under the leadership of Sean Dyche, Forest performed exceptionally well at Anfield.
The Tricky Trees took the lead when Murillo netted the opener, before Igor Jesus (£5.8m) – who troubled Konate and van Dijk throughout – had a second goal ruled out for handball.
Nonetheless, Savona did find the net, marking his second goal in three matches.
Gibbs-White also contributed towards the scoreline, as Forest increased their lead late on. The £7.3m midfielder has now scored four goals in six appearances across all competitions under Dyche.
Elliot Anderson (£5.3m) impressed in midfield, too, as he provided a corner assist for Murillo. He also racked up 16 DefCons, the joint-most he’s had in a match in 2025/26.
Above: Anderson has now produced 10+ DefCons (Tot) in every match he’s played this season
FOREST CLEAN SHEET
Saturday’s victory at Anfield represented a first league clean sheet for Dyche since joining Forest.
In a performance characterised by grit, determination and hard work, Liverpool failed to break down a mean Forest backline, even after racking up 21 shots.
“Every manager has a style, and I have mine. I know what you need as a team. I will trust myself on that. They’ve shown an abundance of what we’ve been talking about over the last four weeks. It feels like four years.
“I spoke openly when I first got here, the players have been trying to realign with three different managers in quick succession. It’s a solid marker against a top side today. It’s to be enjoyed, a win at Anfield. But we’ve got to go again. Everything isn’t solved, but it’s a good, strong marker. We changed the tactical style massively, we’re not passing out, forget about that. We went long because they were going to press the life out of us.
“I know we’ve got players that can play and play good football, but we needed to mix it tactically today. We managed to get a foothold of sorts and then score a goal. Our shape and basics were really good after that. It’s a different way of winning but it’s still a way.
“How do you win football matches without the ball? That’s what we’ve been speaking about. I’m super pleased with that. The players have delivered the plan really well.” – Sean Dyche
With a win against Leeds United and a draw with Manchester United prior to Gameweek 12, Forest are now about to embark on a decent run of fixtures, ranking fourth on our Fixture Ticker in Gameweek 13-21.
