On Saturday evening, you can learn about the main events in English football, the goals in the matches, and the situation in the tournament table by reading this article.
“Nottingham Forest” – “Manchester City” – 1:0
Goal: Hudson-Odoi, 83.
“Nottingham Forest”: Zels, Ayna, Milenkovich, Murilo, Williams, Dominges (Yates, 69), Anderson, Elanga (Sangare, 80), Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi (Morato, 87), Wood (Awoniyi, 87)
“Manchester City”: Ederson, Nunes (Lewis, 61), Husanov, Dias, Guardiola, Gonzales (Kovacic, 62), Silva, Savino (Marmush, 69), Foden (De Bruyne, 69), Doku, Haaland.
The scenario of the first game of the match could have been predicted in advance; it was understandable that Nuno Espirito Santo would play under the second number at home against “Manchester City” and rely on counterattacks. This season, the “foresters” have shown many times that they can take advantage of even the smallest opportunities. The team knows how to be patient and can wait a long time for their moment. The whole EPL knows this, but in practice, no one has the recipes against the “Nottingham” model. The tournament table leader “Liverpool” lost at home in the first round (0:1) and could not score in the away match of the second round either (0:0).
It will be necessary to score first against this team as soon as possible. In the first round, “Arsenal” and “City” managed to do this in their home games and ended up winning with a large score (3:0). However, in the second round, “Nottingham” did not allow “Arsenal” to open the scoring (0:0), and the reigning champions, after failing to score quickly, gradually adapted the game to themselves. When the hosts became more active in the second half, Ederson cleared one dangerous situation. After a low shot, the Brazilian goalkeeper made an excellent save, directing the ball towards the post, but not long after, he conceded a goal from a corner.
This goal cannot be blamed solely on the goalkeeper; the counterattack occurred because Marmush passed the ball to Ayna on the right flank, and then the defenders responsible for the left flank were not ready for Gibbs-White's diagonal pass.
Hudson-Odoi's shot, which went through the legs of Guardiola, also caused difficulties for the goalkeeper, especially since the shot was taken from close range. With this victory, “Nottingham” increased the gap with “City” to four points, maintaining third place. According to the results of Sunday’s matches, “City” could also lose its place in the top four to “Chelsi”.
In this match, Abduqodir Husanov once again showcased a strong performance and saved his team from several goal-scoring situations, ultimately being one of the two players who received the highest rating. In the post-match press conference, Josep Guardiola also praised the actions of the Uzbek defender, stating that he was “happy with his performances”.
“Liverpool” – “Southampton” 3:1
Goals: Nunes, 52, Salah, 53 (pen), 88 (pen) – Smallbone, 45+1
“Liverpool”: Becker, Alexander-Arnold (Kwanza, 90), Konate, van Dijk, Simikas (Robertson, 46), Soboslai (Elliott, 46), Gravenberch (Endo, 81), Jones (Mac Allister, 46), Salah, Nunez (Jota, 68), Dias.
“Southampton”: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Garwood-Bellis, Bednarek (Bella-Kochap, 18), Manning (Onuachu, 85), Ugochukwu (Aribo, 84), Smallbone (Lallana, 71), Fernandes, Dibling (Archer, 64), Grenbek Yerlyukke (Sugavara, 64), Sulemana.
The clash between the first and last teams of the tournament ended as expected at “Anfield”. However, “Southampton” opened the scoring in the added minutes of the first half and went into the break with the lead. “Liverpool”, however, equalized everything in the second half thanks to Nunes' efforts.
Slot's reaction to the missed goal while watching the game from the stands due to suspension
The Uruguayan forward, who contributed significantly to the victory against “PSG” in the middle of the week, scored the equalizing goal this time and later earned a penalty for Salah. Towards the end of the game, after the guest defender played the ball with his hand inside the penalty area, the Egyptian forward scored accurately from the spot for the second time. He has now reached a total of 44 goal contributions this season (27 goals and 17 assists). This is the best result in the history of the EPL for tournaments consisting of 38 rounds (previously, both Henry and Haaland had also collected this many points). Until 1995, when the league had 22 teams (42 matches), Andy Cole (1992/93) and Alan Shearer (1994/95) managed to earn 47 points. However, it won't be long before their record is broken.
Darwin could have received a red card in this match as well; it was about an episode where he caught up with an opponent in the center of the field and brought him down. However, the referee spared him, and the Merseysiders' coaching staff immediately substituted him for Jota. If he had remained on the field, there was a risk that he would not be able to participate in the League Cup final taking place in a week.
After this victory, “Liverpool” increased their points to 70, taking another step towards the championship and may focus on the match against “PSG” scheduled for Tuesday.
