Arne Slot hails ‘outstanding’ Nottingham Forest star after late heroics frustrate Liverpool in pulsating 1-1 draw at the City Ground
Arne Slot was left to criticize Matz Sels’ stunning performance to deny leaders Liverpool victory in their top-flight match at Nottingham Forest.
Chris Wood’s goal gave Forest a half-time lead, but after substitute Diogo Jota equalized with his first touch, Sels made a number of incredible saves to earn his team a point.
“Their goalkeeper is having an excellent season and it is so difficult to score against them,” said Slot. ‘We only conceded one counter-attack in the 98 minutes of total domination, but unfortunately they scored from it.
‘We created a lot of chances in the second half, but we have to give credit to Nottingham. They defend well and throw themselves in front of every cross.
‘We wanted three points, but the players gave everything they had. We played excellent football in the second half and created chance after chance.
‘I can’t remember ever making a substitution that worked as quickly as the one Jota made, but I’m not proud of it. We needed goals. Scoring from a set piece was not something I had in mind when I brought him in.’
Arne Slot’s side were hampered by a determined Nottingham Forest defense late in the 1-1 draw
Matz Sels made a number of crucial stops in the closing stages of the match to keep Forest on level terms
Slot’s men have a six-point lead over Forest with a game in hand, but the Dutchman reiterated his claim that Forest are among their title rivals.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men continue to defy expectations with their deep defense and counter-attacking, and were disappointed to emerge with a point.
Nuno said: ‘We are a big club. We don’t have to prove to anyone that we work at a big club. The players respect each other, and they will not allow anyone to stop believing that we can achieve something beautiful.
‘After the match in the dressing room, the players did not assess their performance fairly. They were disappointed that Liverpool had created so many chances. But if they have this feeling, it shows that we are slowly moving towards what we want to become.”
Forest play Southampton this weekend, while Liverpool travel to Brentford.
Slot added: “Forest have done well in some tough away games and that shows they can compete at the top of the table. They have had the most players available this season and that is a compliment to their staff. If they can keep the same players on the field, I see no reason why they would drop a lot of points.”