Slot praises Liverpool’s ‘outstanding’ second half as Jota salvages a point against Forest

Arne Slot praised Liverpool’s “outstanding” second half which resulted in a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest.

The Premier League leaders maintained their six-point lead at the top of the table, with Diogo Jota coming off the bench to deny the hosts victory and close the gap at the top to just three after Chris Wood’s early opener shorten.

Liverpool struggled to overcome a stubborn performance from Forest players for almost an hour, but after the introduction of Jota the performance was significantly improved and the spoils were shared.

Slot told TNT Sports: “Their goalkeeper had to make some incredible saves, but their defenders also made some good saves and had some chances.” They blocked almost every shot.

“I couldn’t have asked for more. The second half was excellent. There aren’t many teams that can create so many chances against such a defensively strong opponent. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a second.”

“You have to be a little bit lucky (substitutions).

“At that moment we took out Ibou (Konate), who is usually a big threat from set pieces, but we all know that Jota can score a goal and Tsmikas performs well. We made them want to score, but after 20 seconds they actually did it.”

Jota: “A good point, but we wanted three”

Jota’s header from close range from a corner was assisted by substitute Kostas Tsimikas, with the duo making a crucial contribution after coming on.

The Portuguese striker said: “We looked at the cup goal (FA Cup 2023) from a few years ago when he (Tsimikas) passed it to me and as we stood on the touchline we said: ‘Let’s go now and do that recreate.’ ‘You take the corner.’ And it was a goal.

“It was one of those moments where everything worked out. But like I said, I’m not happy because I think we could have won.”

Commenting on their lead at the top, which remains six points, Jota said: “There is still a long way to go in the Premier League. Every ground you step on is hard. It’s another point, but we wanted the three.”

Sels: A draw is still a good result

Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels received plenty of deserved praise after making a series of fantastic saves to keep the Tricky Trees in the game.

The Belgian centre-back said: “It was great with all the fans behind us. In the end, a point is a good result for us. Of course we wanted to win, but I think a point against them is a good result.

“In the second half there was a lot more space between the lines and Liverpool had a few big chances. If you’re realistic, you have to say that a point is a good result for us.

“I’m there to help the team in the difficult moments. In the second half, the last 20 to 25 minutes, they had many great chances. Everyone fought for it until the last second. I’m really happy for the team and also that we didn’t lose because that gives us confidence for the next game.

“Before the season we had to get to 40 points as quickly as possible. We have 41 with 17 games to go, so we can look a little higher. If you want to get into the top four or five you have to keep these teams like Aston Villa, Man City and Newcastle behind you.”

Goalscorer Jota, who was denied by Sels several times after his goal, said of the goalkeeper’s performance: “I just told my former coaches at Wolves that. He made two or three great saves. You want to do better, but he was good too.”