Reality check for Slot’s Liverpool, Haaland double gives Man City win

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot suffered his first setback as his side surprisingly lost 1-0 at home to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday but Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the season.
Forest had not tasted victory at Anfield since 1969 but Callum Hudson-Odoi’s 72nd minute curler beyond Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson secured the three points as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side moved into the Premier League’s top five.
Erling Haaland, whose place in Manchester City’s side was in doubt after being granted compassionate leave this week, continued his incredible start to the season with two goals as City recovered from conceding after 22 seconds to win 2-1.
Reigning champions City are top with a maximum 12 points from four games, with Liverpool on nine along with third-placed Aston Villa who hit back from 2-0 down to beat Everton 3-2 thanks to a stunning Jhon Duran winner.
Brighton & Hove Albion, who drew 0-0 at home to promoted Ipswich Town, are on eight points along with Forest.
Manchester United’s new signing Matthijs de Ligt grabbed his first goal of the season and Marcus Rashford scored for the first time since March as Erik Ten Hag’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory at Southampton who are yet to earn a point.
Liverpool’s transition from the Juergen Klopp era had appeared seamless as they began the season with three league victories, but they stumbled badly against Forest.
“The result frustrates the most, and we cannot be happy about how the game went. It was a stop-start game and we hardly created any chances,” lamented Dutchman Slot.
“We only have to look at ourselves – we have to be better. Far too many times we lost the ball around the area, it was not good enough. We have to be better with the ball.”
For Forest, their start offers optimism that they can finally begin to look upwards in the table after two seasons fighting against relegation.
They produced a tactically astute display to frustrate Liverpool and then sent their visiting fans wild as Anthony Elanga found his fellow substitute Hudson-Odoi with a brilliant cross-field pass, and the 23-year-old winger cut inside before bending a tremendous effort past Alisson.
“We are working hard, and it is about building and believing in this idea that you can develop,” Espirito Santo said.
GOAL MACHINE
Man City, whose 115 charges of breaking Premier League financial rules will start to be heard by an independent tribunal next week – charges the club denies – were stunned as Brentford opened the scoring in the first minute at The Etihad.
Yoane Wissa gave the London side the lead but Norwegian goal machine Haaland struck twice before halftime.
He restored parity in the 20th minute when he scored from a tight angle with his second touch of the game and then muscle through from an Ederson clearance to chip what turned out to be the winning goal.
Haaland was denied a third that would have made him the first player since 1946 to score three successive hat-tricks in the English top flight. He has nine goals in four games – more than any other English top-flight team has managed this season.
City’s neighbours United had lost two of their opening three games to once again put the pressure on manager Ten Hag, but they were convincing winners against Southampton on the south coast as they moved to six points.
Things might have been different though had Saints’ Cameron Archer not had a first-half penalty saved by Andre Onana when the score was still 0-0.
“Once Andre stopped the penalty, straight after, we scored a goal with Matthijs de Ligt, the game was all ours and we dominate the game from that point,” Ten Hag said.
Leicester City were denied a first win of the season as Jean-Philippe Mateta’s stoppage-time penalty salvaged a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi had put the Foxes 2-0 ahead but Mateta threw the home side a lifeline and then coolly slotted home a penalty at the death.
West Ham United also needed a stoppage-time goal to grab a 1-1 draw at London rivals Fulham – Danny Ings striking in the 95th minute after Raul Jimenez had given the hosts the lead. (This story has been refiled to fix capitalisation of Reality in the headline)