Nottingham Forest produced a stunning performance to stun Liverpool and climb to the bottom of the Premier League at a spirited City Ground.
Taiwo Awoniyi, who left Liverpool without a competitive appearance in 2021, hit the winner from close range after his initial effort came back off a post.
Liverpool were far from their best – Virgil van Dijk missed his best chance – and went without a league win that season.
Forest keeper Dan Henderson produced a superb save to palm away a Trent Alexander-Arnold header in the final 10 minutes.
There were jubilant scenes on and off the pitch at the final whistle as Forest enjoyed their best day since returning to the top flight this season after a 23-year absence.
Liverpool are 11 points behind leaders Arsenal, who have played a game more, while Forest, who are 19th, have moved above Leicester.
Forest Dig Deep for Famous Win
Forest endured a difficult start to their first season in the Premier League, but it was a day to remember as they thoroughly deserved their victory over flat Liverpool.
With Leicester’s win over Leeds dropping Forest to the bottom of the table on Thursday, boss Steve Cooper will be hoping this is a season-changing win.
Despite his struggles since winning promotion, Forest handed Cooper a new contract this month until 2025.
While Bournemouth, Chelsea, Wolves and Aston Villa have sacked managers, Forest have decided to be patient with them and have now picked up four points from their last two games.
Forest took the game to Liverpool from the first whistle and, by the time referee Paul Tierney called full-time, they had run themselves into the ground after a performance fueled by aggression, energy and desire.
They have made a habit of conceding leads this season – most notably when they beat Bournemouth 2-0 down to just 3-2 – but Liverpool fought back late on to secure a famous win. Survived the pressure.
Three of their next five league games are against Arsenal (away), Manchester United (away) and Chelsea (home), but this memorable win will give them confidence.
Liverpool’s Season Takes a Step Backwards
Liverpool are getting back into some sort of rhythm with a win over Rangers in the Champions League followed by back-to-back Premier League victories over Manchester City and West Ham.
It was a million miles away from a thrilling victory over City at Anfield six days earlier, while their last league win at the City Ground was in 1984.
Alexander-Arnold came close to rescuing a point late on, but it was a sluggish performance ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Amsterdam for their Champions League game with Ajax.
They were not helped by the loss of midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who missed the match on Saturday after waking up with a serious ear infection that required hospital treatment.
Questions will be asked of manager Jurgen Klopp, who will demand a much better performance on Wednesday.
