'Long ball' - Liverpool star Alisson takes aim at Nottingham Forest tactics after shock defeat

Alisson during Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
-Credit: (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)


Liverpool's Alisson Becker has expressed his frustration following the Reds' 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, criticising the opposition's defensive approach. Callum Hudson-Odoi's strike from distance was enough to secure a historic win for Forest at Anfield, marking their first victory there since 1969 and handing Arne Slot a first defeat as manager of the Reds.

Despite Liverpool dominating possession and attempting five shots on target, they couldn't show the clinical edge displayed in earlier matches this season, reports the Liverpool Echo. Forest, under Nuno Espirito Santo's guidance, carried out their game plan expertly and left Alisson frustrated after the game.

Alisson, who let in his first goal of the campaign when Hudson-Odoi scored on the 72nd minute, told BBC Sport post-match: "It was a shame, losing points at home is not good at all but the opponent today only wanted to defend and play for the long ball." "We gave them that too easily when they scored, it was poor defensively from us. We couldn't create much, we had a lack of quality today, we needed more energy."

The Brazilian goalkeeper added: "It is three points we have lost today unnecessarily. All the opportunities we had were not clear enough and they defended great, they threw themselves in front of the ball."

While Liverpool completed significantly more passes than Forest (591), they were unable to break down the solid defensive wall put up by the visitors. The result sees Liverpool fall behind at the top of the Premier League table as Manchester City secured a win over Brentford, creating a three-point lead over Slot's side, who are set to face AC Milan in their upcoming Champions League match this week.

For his part, Reds head coach Slot said: "I want to see the same energy every single day, after a big win, after a small win, after a draw, after a loss." "We need to go out to work again tomorrow, analyse what we did well and what we didn't do well.

READ MORE: Forest player ratings as Hudson-Odoi shines and debutants impress in big win vs Liverpool

READ MORE: 'Proud' Nuno outlines Forest delight after stunning win at Liverpool

"There were things we could improve after the Man United game and we showed them also a few good things. That's going to be the same tomorrow and the day after."

"This was a different game to the ones we played until now because we faced a low block, the team we faced played really low. Because of a result of that we had a lot of ball possession but were not able to create a lot."