Nottingham Forest are at it again. Dan Ndoye has given the visitors a first-half lead at Anfield, and the early signs suggest that Liverpool's new-look side will have to work every bit as hard as their predecessors did to unpick a Forest defensive structure that has, over the past two years, made the city of Nottingham's return to the top flight one of English football's most compelling stories.

Ndoye Punishes Slack Liverpool Start

The goal, arriving just before the half-hour mark, is a familiar Forest blueprint executed to near-perfection. Matz Sels launches long, Gabriel Jesus wins the aerial duel some 25 yards from goal, and the ball is worked left to Ndoye, who opens his body and whips a composed finish into the bottom right corner past a helpless Alisson. Clean, direct, clinical.

It had been coming. Forest had controlled large portions of the opening exchanges, building an xG of 0.77 before the goal landed, while Liverpool had registered a barely-worth-mentioning 0.01. Anfield, loud and expectant at kick-off, fell noticeably quiet the moment the net rippled.

A Familiar Nightmare Returns

This fixture has not been kind to Liverpool in recent memory. In the opening weeks of the 2024-25 season, Forest arrived at Anfield and left with all three points — Callum Hudson-Odoi scoring a memorable winner on the counter as Liverpool dominated possession without reward. That result lingered. The following campaign brought even sharper pain, with Forest running out 3-0 winners at Anfield in a performance that briefly threatened to derail what had otherwise been a historic title defence.

Whatever has changed in the dugout for Liverpool this summer, the challenge Forest pose clearly has not diminished. Their high-intensity, structured approach continues to cause top-six opponents serious problems, and the visitors look every inch a side that has spent the summer preparing specifically for moments like this one.

Liverpool Searching for an Answer

Liverpool have not been without their moments. Alexis Mac Allister has driven forward from midfield, Alexander Isak has made clever runs, and Dominik Szoboszlai has tried to impose himself — including one neat nutmeg on a Forest midfielder that raised a cheer from the home end. But the final ball has been lacking, and Sels has yet to make a meaningful save.

Jeremie Frimpong has offered width on the right, cutting back from the byline and teeing up a Szoboszlai effort that was blocked. Milos Kerkez is carrying the ball forward on the left but struggling to find a telling cross. In the middle of the park, it is Forest who have looked the sharper, more aggressive unit.

James McAtee has been particularly influential for the visitors, finding pockets of space and linking the press to the attack. Ndoye himself had already come close with a guided header across goal before his goal arrived — a warning Liverpool did not heed quickly enough.

Still Plenty to Play For

There remains time, of course. Liverpool's squad carries plenty of firepower, and Anfield has turned around worse situations than a single-goal deficit. The market will have taken note of Forest's authority in the early stages, but this is still a 24th-minute scoreline, not a final result.

What is beyond doubt is that Forest's reputation as the Premier League's great party-poopers — particularly at Anfield — is very much alive. The question now is whether Liverpool can finally write a different ending to this fixture.

Frequently asked

What time is Liverpool v Nottingham Forest kicking off today?
The match kicked off at 12.30pm BST on Saturday, 29 August 2026 at Anfield.
Who scored for Nottingham Forest against Liverpool?
Dan Ndoye opened the scoring for Nottingham Forest on 24 minutes, finishing calmly into the bottom right corner after a quick counter-attack.
Have Nottingham Forest beaten Liverpool at Anfield before?
Yes. Forest won at Anfield in September 2024 thanks to a Callum Hudson-Odoi counter-attack goal, and returned the following season to win 3-0 — making Anfield something of a happy hunting ground in recent years.