Liverpool continue to look increasingly like Premier League title contenders this season, as their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest was assessed positively.
Jurgen Klopp‘s side comprehensively outplayed their opponents on Sunday afternoon, with almost no threat of dropped points from the moment the game kicked off.
Goals from Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah sealed the victory for Liverpool, who remain three points adrift of current league leaders Tottenham.
Here’s how the media assessed the Reds’ win.
It was a richly deserved Liverpool win…
Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail is thoroughly enjoying Klopp’s 2.0 era at Anfield:
“Liverpool ultimately eased to victory in a win dedicated to Diaz and his family, with Jota leading the tributes to the Colombian by holding aloft a No 7 shirt following his first-half goal.
“Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah also scored in a convincing attacking display.
“This was a third win in just over a week for the Reds after they dispatched Merseyside rivals Everton, French side Toulouse and now a stubborn Nottingham Forest side.
“Klopp calls this side ‘Liverpool 2.0’ after a summer rebuild but much is the same as his all-conquering teams.”
“Of course there are new elements, such as the ever-improving, prolific Nunez and the multi-functional midfield starring £130million worth of new boys in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch.”
On X, David Lynch claimed that the Reds are a team who are “back to their best”:
Games like this are a really good measure of the fact that Liverpool really are back to their best. They scraped a 3-2 win vs Nottingham Forest here last season having lost the away game 1-0. No sign of a struggle this time; complete control from start to finish.
— David Lynch (@dmlynchlfc) October 29, 2023
Szoboszlai and Nunez were the stars at Anfield…
This Is Anfield‘s Mark Delgado focused on another impressive display from Nunez:
“Before the situation with Diaz’s parents arose, it likely would have been him on the left and one of Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota starting centre-forward.
“Since they both started, we can perhaps read into the Uruguayan getting the nod in the middle as him having been Jurgen Klopp‘s pre-game choice in any case.
“It was certainly the Uruguayan who had the best openings of the first half; one rocket from a narrow angle saved following a defensive slip, then a header powered over the bar.
“And it was certainly the Uruguayan who made the difference: first his run down the channel and drilled shot was parried by Matt Turner, straight to Jota who tapped in, then it was Nunez again who attacked the near post to score the second soon after.
“He’s in great form right now and received another ovation when subbed late on.”
Daniel Orme of the Mirror lauded another superb showing from Szoboszlai:
“For all of Liverpool’s summer signings, Hungarian playmaker Szboszlai looks to be the pick of the bunch. Since his arrival from RB Leipzig, he had scored twice, with fans waiting to see the creative side to his game.
“After all, he had laid on 13 goals in all competitions during his final season in Germany. Like the proverbial buses, the 23-year-old very quickly had two assists to his name.
“He at first fired in a low ball for Nunez to score. His clearance then picked out Salah and he raced through to make it 3-0.”
In his post-match Player Ratings, TIA‘s Henry Jackson lavished Nunez with praise:
“With each passing week, the more superb Nunez looks, and he was a standout figure this time out.
“It felt like he was involved in everything good about the Reds’ attacking play, being denied before Jota tapped home, and then making it 2-0 with a good finish.
“Tried an outrageous overhead kick for good measure, and looks like someone loving his football. Received a standing ovation.”
On X, Joel Rabinowitz described Szoboszlai as “ridiculously good”, but did also love what he saw from Alexis Mac Allister:
Mac Allister’s best performance so far that. Broke up Forest attacks brilliantly and always in the right place to offer a passing angle, receive the ball and move Liverpool quickly up the pitch. Szoboszlai just ridiculously good as per usual.
— Joel Rabinowitz (@joel_archie) October 29, 2023
Liverpool really do look like title challengers…
Delgado assessed Liverpool’s form, saying the Reds look in a great place currently:
“That’s now four wins and a draw since that last-minute defeat at Spurs, a very good return and with plenty of expectation that it’ll continue given the upcoming run until the international break – which continues with Bournemouth in the cup in midweek.
[…]
“Attack and perhaps left-back are the areas which might currently look a little thin for different reasons, but there’s still plenty on show to win games.
“And in the meantime, we quietly, consistently remain in touch with the top, three points off the league leaders and looking very capable of being in the mix.”