Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Liverpool will be glad to see the back of Nottingham Forest.
Two games against the big surprise of the Premier League season have yielded just one point for the leaders after their 1-1 draw at Forest's rocking City Ground on Tuesday.
Liverpool has lost only once in 20 games so far this campaign — and that was 1-0 at home to Forest in September.
Four months later, Diogo Jota scored with a header from a corner in the 66th minute — just 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute — to earn Liverpool a draw that maintained its six-point cushion over Forest, which moved into second place in its improbable bid to qualify for the Champions League. And who knows, maybe more.
Forest was on course to record an unlikely home-and-away double over Arne Slot's team after top scorer Chris Wood scored in the eighth minute.
Liverpool piled on the pressure late on but again failed to defeat Forest, which started the season more likely to be in a relegation battle than competing for the title.
“Before the season we needed to get as quickly as possible to 40 points,” Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels said, referring to the total that typically is enough to guarantee safety. “With 17 games to go, we have got 41 so we can look a little bit higher.”
Forest's fans goaded Slot at times in a febrile atmosphere at the City Ground that hasn't been this bouncing for a generation. The good times look to be back at a club that was famously European champions in back-to-back years under managerial great Brian Clough, in 1979 and '80.
Liverpool has a game in hand over Forest so is still in a strong position to win a record-tying 20th English league title. Arsenal is in third place, a further point back, and can trim the gap to Liverpool to four points by beating Tottenham in the north London derby on Wednesday.
“If we continue bringing performances like in the second half today," Slot said, "then we will not always be that unlucky that it ends with a draw.”
City's fallibility returns
Manchester City showed more late-game fallibility in squandering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Brentford.
After struggling to create chances in the first half, City winger Savinho went close to breaking the deadlock in the 50th minute, marauding forward through the left channel before thumping a shot off the foot of the post.
Two minutes later City striker Erling Haaland headed straight at the keeper when he should have scored.
The breakthrough finally came for City in the 66th minute when a brilliant ball from the right by Kevin De Bruyne was met by Foden, who steered a deft volley in at the far post.
City conceded in the 82nd minute and again two minutes into stoppage time after Phil Foden scored twice for the struggling champions, who are battling to simply qualify for the Champions League this season.
Prior to winning its last two league games against Leicester and West Ham, City had won just one in nine to drop out of the Champions League qualification positions. During that poor run, City conceded two late goals to lose to Manchester United while also throwing away a three-goal lead late in a 3-3 draw against Feyenoord in the Champions League.
“We have to manage (games) a little bit better,” City manager Pep Guardiola said, “but today was not bad.”
Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard were the scorers for Brentford to leave City in sixth place.
Last-gasp equalizer for Chelsea
Chelsea salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth thanks to Reece James' free kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time but saw its winless run in the league extend to five games.
Second-half substitute James, playing his first league game since November because of injury, beat goalkeeper Mark Travers with a perfectly placed curler into the far corner of the net.
Cole Palmer put Chelsea ahead with a cheeky finish in the 13th minute for his 14th goal of the season, only for Bournemouth to respond as Antoine Semenyo won a penalty — converted by Justin Kluivert — and smashed home a rising finish in the 68th.
"I think we had a few clear-cut chances that we should have taken in the first half and put the game to bed," James told TNT Sport. "It's mixed emotions."
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said his side deserved more, especially from the first half which he described as one of their best of the season.
Chelsea stayed in fourth place — at least until fifth-place Newcastle plays on Wednesday.
Potter's first win
Graham Potter secured his first win as West Ham manager as his new team beat Fulham 3-2.
Carlos Soler and Tomas Soucek scored first-half goals before Lucas Paqueta grabbed the crucial third for West Ham, which brought in Potter last week as a replacement for the fired Julen Lopetegui.
Potter's first match in charge was a defeat at Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday.
Alex Iwobi scored Fulham's goals to make it 2-1 and then 3-2.
West Ham moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone with the victory.
