1) Forest take heart from defeat by old rivals
Liverpool may have been under full strength but even in defeat it was a test emphatically passed by Steve Cooper’s burgeoning Nottingham Forest side. The hosts displayed impressive defensive discipline and shape to keep Liverpool out for 78 minutes, and arguably should have had a penalty soon after conceding. They almost certainly would have been awarded a spot-kick had Ryan Yates altered his direction slightly and aimed to draw more significant contact from Alisson, the kind of trick pulled so often by Premier League forwards for the benefit of the video assistant referee. The VAR decision to rule Diogo Jota onside for the winner was also very tight. Forest caused Jürgen Klopp’s men problems and had the chances to win the match outright but a lack of ruthlessness with the opportunities they created left Cooper’s side to ponder a couple of marginal decisions that could easily have gone the other way. As Joe Worrall said, Forest went “toe to toe with one of the best teams in the world”. Plenty of positives to take from that. Luke McLaughlin
2) Virtuoso Eze makes it look easy
Eberechi Eze’s fine first season at Crystal Palace was soundtracked by the fond, paternal shouts of Ray Lewington, who seemed in some games to be present purely for the purpose of in-game coaching Palace’s left-sided attacker. Hopefully Lewington had a Sunday off to shout fondly at his television screen as Eze produced a fine, bold, effective display in the 4-0 FA Cup defeat of Everton. This was significant: Eze’s second start against Premier League opponents since May 2021; an assertive showing after a season struggling with the aftershocks of an achilles injury; and more simply a reminder of what an excellent player he is, so easy on the ball, so progressive in his movement and passing. Palace have a core of high-grade attacking players. Eze against Everton was a reminder that he might just end up the best of that group. Mainly he is just a rare pleasure to watch. Barney Ronay
3) Gerrard tells Saka to toughen up
Bukayo Saka made a point of telling the referee Robert Madley he needed more protection after feeling he had received rough treatment during Arsenal’s win at Aston Villa, but he was given short shrift by Steven Gerrard when his concerns were fed through. “It’s part of the game,” Gerrard said. “The last time I checked, it wasn’t a no-contact sport. I think tackles are allowed, physicality is allowed. He’s a good player, an outstanding talent. I love him. But he can’t complain about that side of it, that’s football. I’m sitting here now with screws in my hips. I’ve had about 16 operations. I’m struggling to go to the gym at the moment. That’s all on the back of earning a living in English football. He’ll learn and he’ll learn quick.” In fairness to Saka, he routinely gets up, dusts himself down and carries on; Gerrard was right that Villa had done little wrong, despite rancour over a fair tackle by Tyrone Mings, and the sense was that the England forward was expressing a longer-term frustration. Nick Ames
4) Wolves’ flakiness alarms Lage
Whatever madness ensued at Molineux, Wolves allowed themselves to wobble, self-destructing in the wake of Raúl Jiménez’s controversial sending-off. It was a decision that stung Bruno Lage but more so his players. Wolves were chasing a third goal that would surely have put the game to bed but Leeds exposed their frailty to devastating effect and Lage was critical of his team’s mentality, accusing his players of being…
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