Just when it seemed as if nothing would be lost for Liverpool in a gripping game, Arne Slot turned to the bench midway through the second half and showed off his seemingly golden touch. Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota came into the game, with the former feeding the latter with their first touches on a corner to equalize. It was Liverpool’s first shot on target and the first goal conceded by Nottingham Forest in more than 500 minutes of play.

For Forest, this is simply a trip the fans won’t want to miss. This was another stunning performance under Nuno Espírito Santo, another impressive step in an exceptional season and a point puts them in second place, six points behind the leaders who also have a game in hand. On this basis, we may be in for a title race, especially as both Chelsea and Manchester City have dropped more points.

Nuno insisted the composition of these teams had changed in the five months since his team handed Liverpool their only league defeat of the season. The Portuguese went out of his way to say that the parameters here were completely different and that this was a completely different test. But from the moment Nuno arrived at the City Ground, wearing a backpack as if he were reporting for a 9-5 office job, this was the same old Forest: determined, rigid in build-up and devastating in counter-attack. The bass of “Born Slippy,” a popular pregame anthem, echoed through this lively stadium and the obvious feel-good factor was over the top. By this time, Evangelos Marinakis, the owner, had already wandered around the sidelines to survey the scene. Ryan Yates, the captain, who returned to the starting line-up at the age of eight, met early on with Virgil van Dijk, who was sociable halfway through.

Liverpool ended the first half with nine shots, most of them speculative from outside the Forest penalty area, impeccably arranged by Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, a superb defensive partnership. Cody Gakpo had Liverpool’s first try, evading Yates and then going off balance. Ryan Gravenberch had two wild swings and one miss. The forest was on the route, but comfortable. Under Nuno they thrive on seizing moments, punishing mistakes and when Callum Hudson-Odoi, who scored the winner at Anfield in September, grabbed the ball from Mohamed Salah, the visitors were in trouble. Hudson-Odoi hit a pass to Anthony Elanga, who released Chris Wood down the left channel.

Forest cut Liverpool into the lead with two incisive passes and Wood’s first-time finish across goal gave Alisson no chance. It was a beautiful Forest goal, Wood’s 14th goal of the season. Cue ecstasy in the stands, disbelieving Forest fans of all ages. Nuno was expressionless with his arms crossed.

Just over a minute later, Murillo intercepted a free pass from Gravenberch and shot at goal from 30 meters. Even Nuno allowed himself a wry smile. Forest were in the mood, but Liverpool, in their opinion, were not devastated. At the same time, things weren’t going so well. Slot applauded after Trent Alexander-Arnold boiled over a diagonal pass intended for Gakpo. Luis Díaz shot over the goal from distance. Andy Robertson played a blind pass that went out of play for a Matz Sels goal kick. Dominik Szoboszlai clapped his hands in frustration. Forest forced Liverpool into mistakes, with Ola Aina urging Robertson to ruin a routine pass. Neco Williams prevented Salah from holding on to another clipped pass from Alexander-Arnold. When Szoboszlai abused Morgan Gibbs-White on half-court, the latter was penalized after questioning referee Chris Kavanagh’s decision not to book the Liverpool midfielder.

The second half was a similar story for Liverpool until Slot made his double substitution which was nothing short of magical. A few minutes earlier, Gravenberch had threaded Díaz through on the edge of the penalty area, but he was unable to connect. The Colombian striker grimaced and a pain-filled slot arched his back.

Forest were having so much fun that Murillo attempted a daring lob after rushing into the opposition half after beating Salah and Gravenberch to the ball. There were a few oiles after Forest played neat triangles around Alexander-Arnold before Alexis Mac Allister knocked down Gibbs-White. From the ensuing free kick, Elanga fired a top shot at Alisson on the hour mark. It was another shot on goal, something that eluded Liverpool.

Robertson endured a difficult evening, punctuated by failed clearances and poor passes, and it was no surprise that he was one half of the pair that had to withdraw Slot in the 65th minute. Nobody, certainly not even the Dutchman, could have hoped that Robertson’s replacement would make such an immediate impact. The same went for Jota, who replaced centre-back Ibrahima Konaté, a clear sign that Slot had no desire to mess around. Tsimikas’ left corner went into the box and Jota got between Wood and Murillo and fired a header past Sels, who had another great game.

Aina cleared a Salah shot off the line in the 88th minute and Szoboszlai saw a low shot deflected wide, but Sels probably left the pitch as Forest’s hero, making a low save from Gakpo in seven minutes of tense stoppage time.