Nottingham Forest, second to last at kick-off, came on Saturday to inflict a heavy defeat on the title holder Liverpool (3-0), who were beaten for the sixth time in their last seven league matches.

Having lost by the same scoreline at Manchester City before the international break, the Reds have dropped to 11th place with 18 points while awaiting the rest of Matchday 12.

Nottingham Forest (16th, 12 points), now coached by Sean Dyche, moved out of the relegation zone after securing a second victory in three matches at Anfield (against one draw).

In front of their fans, the Reds attacked the opposition goal from the outset, but their offensive inefficiency proved costly against a "Tricky Trees" side that was far more skillful in the opposite penalty area.

The visitors were also helped by the very poor performance of Ibrahima Konaté, who was replaced in the 55th minute by Arne Slot.

The French defender conceded a largely avoidable corner, the one where Murillo opened the scoring (33rd, 0-1), and he lost a duel on a goal by Igor Jesus, which was disallowed for a handball (35th), among other setbacks.

Half-time did not do Liverpool any good as, less than 40 seconds after the restart, Nicolo Savona increased the misery of Alisson Becker, back in the starting lineup after a long absence due to injury (46th, 0-2).

The Brazilian goalkeeper made a fine save from a shot by Omari Hutchinson, but Morgan Gibbs-White followed up (78th, 3-0).

Liverpool will be looking to get back on track in upcoming matches against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds, although the supposedly inferior pedigree of the opponent does not seem to be a guarantee of success at the moment.

AFP