Anfield in Agony: Liverpool Routed 3-0 by Rampant Nottingham Forest in Premier League Humiliation

The Kop's roar turned to stunned silence on November 22, 2025, as Nottingham Forest delivered a historic gut-punch at Anfield, dismantling defending champions Liverpool 3-0 in a match that exposed every fracture in Arne Slot's unraveling project. Murillo's opener, Nicolas Savona's second-half thunderbolt, and Morgan Gibbs-White's late dagger sealed Forest's first-ever three-goal triumph on Merseyside, propelling Nuno Espirito Santo's underdogs to ninth while plunging the Reds into a relegation-zone abyss—11th with just 18 points from 12 games, eight adrift of leaders Arsenal.

A Nightmare Unfolds: Forest's Clinical Edge Shreds Liverpool's Defense

From the opening whistle, Liverpool flickered with intent, Cody Gakpo twisting into the box to tee up Alexis Mac Allister for a blocked effort in the eighth minute. Mohamed Salah dragged wide, Dominik Szoboszlai forced a low save from Matz Sels—promising signs for a side desperate to halt a skid of six losses in seven league outings. But Forest, turned to face the Kop by Nuno's tactical flip, absorbed the pressure like a sponge, waiting for the counter's sting.

It arrived in the 33rd: a corner pinball from a Liverpool clearance fell to Murillo, whose deflected volley wrong-footed Alisson Becker and nestled into the net—VAR's scrutiny yielding no reprieve despite howls of handball. Anfield's pulse quickened, but the half's dying embers saw Forest nearly double up, Ibrahim Sangare's header cleared off the line by Ibrahima Konate.

The interval brought no resurrection. Slot's half-time tweaks—Rio Ngumoha for the ineffective Harvey Elliott—yielded possession but no penetration, Liverpool's 74% share evaporating into aimless crosses. Forest pounced again in the 46th: Savona's 25-yard rocket, a half-volley of venomous precision, swerved beyond Alisson's despairing dive, silencing 60,419 in the stands. It was the Brazilian's first senior goal, a strike that etched Forest folklore.

Liverpool chased ghosts, Salah bundled over in the box for phantom penalty cries, Szoboszlai's curler whistling wide. But the coffin nail hammered home in the 78th: Omari Hutchinson's snapshot parried by Alisson into Gibbs-White's path, the midfielder's tap-in his third in as many games and Forest's biggest Anfield haul since records began. Slot's late Luis Diaz sub arrived too late; the Reds, shorn of ideas, slumped to their sixth league defeat—two more than last season's tally—echoing a 3-0 Man City drubbing two weeks prior.

Slot's Solutions Sought Amid "Shambolic" Collapse: Van Dijk's Damning Verdict

Post-match, Anfield's inquest was brutal. Captain Virgil van Dijk, a colossus turned statue, decried a "very bad atmosphere" permeating the club—"from top to bottom," he added, eyes hollow under the floodlights. "We need to look in the mirror. This isn't us." The Dutch defender, culpable for Murillo's unmarked run, joined a chorus of 4/10 ratings: Mac Allister anonymous, Konate overrun, Salah isolated in a toothless attack bereft of Diogo Jota's ghost since his tragic passing.

Arne Slot, facing mounting sack whispers just six months after Klopp's coronation handover, rejected excuses. "No interest in them—only solutions," the Dutchman insisted, admitting tactical tweaks "haven't worked out" and his new-look forward line—bolstered by summer splurges—has misfired spectacularly. "We weren't able to create enough. Confidence is fragile; once we conceded, we fell apart." Pundit Michael Dawson piled on: "They need a miracle to sniff Arsenal."

Nuno, by contrast, basked in vindication—his first win over Liverpool in 11 attempts, a clean sheet in 20 tries. "The players deserved this history," he beamed, crediting Murillo's "warrior" spirit and Gibbs-White's poise. Forest, 18th last spring, now eye Europe, their counter-punch a masterclass in opportunism.

Tides Turned: From Title Tilt to Relegation Rearview

This rout caps Liverpool's freefall: eighth defeats in 11 across competitions, a far cry from the title defense Slot inherited. The bottom-half plummet—first since 2006—stokes fan fury, with "Arne Out" graffiti scarring Anfield's walls and John Henry dodging pitchfork-wielding protests. Salah's 10 goals mask a squad adrift: Alexander Isak's summer arrival unintegrated, Gravenberch lost in midfield, Alisson exposed by a backline in tatters.

As Forest depart with swagger—next hosting Brentford—Liverpool lick wounds before a November 29 Champions League clash with AC Milan. Slot's honeymoon is history; the miracle Dawson demands? It starts with rediscovering Anfield's fire. For now, the Kop weeps, and the ghosts of glory mock from the stands. The Reds' redemption arc hangs by a thread—will Slot stitch it, or snap?