Nottingham Forest twice took the lead at Anfield yesterday before eventually settling for a 2-2 draw against Liverpool, with Super Eagles wing-back Ola Aina turning in a 7-rated shift.
Dan Ndoye and Morgan Gibbs-White struck for the visitors, only for Alexander Isak and Víctor Muñoz to hit back for the hosts in front of the Kop, in a Premier League Matchweek 2 encounter that swung one way and then the other.
Oliver Glasner set his Nottingham Forest side up in a 3-4-2-1, with Aina at right wing-back ahead of a back three of Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo. Xaver Schlager and James McAtee anchored midfield, while Morgan Gibbs-White and Dan Ndoye supported Igor Jesus in the front three.
Forest struck the first blow inside 25 minutes. Morgan Gibbs-White threaded a delightful pass through the Liverpool back line, and Dan Ndoye latched onto it before finishing past Alisson to silence Anfield.
Aina’s afternoon looked like it could unravel five minutes into the second half. The Super Eagles man was cautioned in the 50th minute for a rough foul on Víctor Muñoz, leaving him walking a tightrope for the remainder of his time on the pitch.
Rather than back off, Aina got inspired. His positional discipline improved immediately, and Forest’s right flank held firm through a spell in which Liverpool poured forward, with Muñoz booked on 54 minutes and Wirtz cautioned five minutes later.
The pressure eventually told on the hour. Cody Gakpo drifted onto the right flank flank and clipped a low cross that Alexander Isak converted with his left foot at the far post, and Anfield thought its afternoon had turned. 1-1.
Instead, Forest hit back inside 10 minutes. A penalty was awarded after Liam Delap’s quick throw freed Neco Williams into the box and Alisson clattered into the Welshman.
Alisson was booked for his part in the incident, and Morgan Gibbs-White stepped up in the 70th minute to send the Brazilian the wrong way and restore Forest’s lead at 2-1.
Liverpool responded with three substitutions before the equaliser eventually arrived in the 82nd minute. Florian Wirtz picked out Víctor Muñoz inside the Forest box, and the Spaniard finished coolly to make it 2-2 and rescue a point for the hosts.
His yellow card in the 50th minute could have derailed the afternoon, but the Super Eagles man responded with the sort of discipline and composure that has come to define his game for both club and country.
Playing as a right wing-back in the 3-4-2-1, Aina was tasked with covering huge ground down his flank, tracking runners while offering an outlet in transition, and he managed it without a second booking despite the fixture’s cagey tempo.
Aina was withdrawn in the 86th minute for Luca Netz after Glasner opted to close the game out with fresh legs.