A dream came true for Steven Gerrard’s son Lio on Saturday as he left Anfield alongside his hero Mohamed Salah.

“My Lio, he’s obsessed,” Gerrard told Salah when they reunited for LFCTV earlier this year.

“He loves you more than me, you’re the only person he loves more than me!” I’m second.”

The day, week, month and year were set for Lio Gerrard when he retired as mascot in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.

The young Gerrard imitated his father and came out with his hands on his hips before holding salahs as they walked onto the pitch ahead of kick-off.

He then joined Gerrard in the stands for a lackluster first half before returning to the center circle as the pair met two fans for a half-time game. Lio had the opportunity to take a penalty in front of the Kop – and of course to score to thunderous applause.

It’s not Lio Gerrard’s first time playing at Anfield, of course – he recently joined his father in the LFC Legends charity games.

But coming out of the tunnel next to Salah might have been even better.

In February, Gerrard unveiled the latest addition to his son’s bedroom when local artist MurWalls painted a replica of the Liverpool dressing room to complement his mural of Salah, Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

After Gerrard was relieved of his duties at Aston Villa in October – and in no rush to take on his next manager’s job – he and his son have had a lot more time to watch Liverpool. And with seven games to play this season, Lio even has a chance to overtake his father as the club’s fifth-highest goalscorer in history.

Also..

Set pieces, Man of the match and midfield Trent Alexander-Arnold here to stay – 5 talking points from Liverpool 3-2 Forest

Set pieces, Man of the match and midfield Trent Alexander-Arnold here to stay – 5 talking points from Liverpool 3-2 Forest

Liverpool worked hard but finally secured a very useful three points at home to Nottingham Forest, in a 3-2 win at Anfield.
Liverpool 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Premier League (31), Anfield
April 22, 2023

Goals: Jota 47′ 55′, Salah 70′; Williams 51′, Gibbs-White 67′

Fixed threat

One avenue that has looked fruitful for the Reds all afternoon has been set pieces.

A Trent Alexander-Arnold free kick to Virgil van Dijk created the first real problem of the game for Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas as he deflected the ball over the bar.

There was another chance from the ensuing corner, which led to another corner where Cody Gakpo’s shot was cleared off the line by Neco Williams.

Diogo Jota then missed a good chance at the far post from Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick, but it couldn’t fail as he opened the scoring in the second half and bravely entered the net from close range after Fabinho headed over the goal goal. another corner. His second was an excellent touch and a free-kick finish from Andy Robertson. Both full-backs put in impressive performances all afternoon.

line of scrimmage

Alexander-Arnold’s switch from right-back to midfield during Liverpool’s warm-up play has a natural kick-off effect higher up the pitch.

There was often an attacking back four consisting of Jota, Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones. Sometimes a five when Jordan Henderson was promoted. The pair regularly swapped places, with Gakpo often penetrating deep into midfield to help build.

Jurgen Klopp recently commented that games towards the end of this season will be useful in planning the next ones, so it looks like the Trent-in-midfield experience is here to stay.

The most important thing will be how it affects the rest of the team’s form, helping both frontline defense and attacking play.

Decent depth…in most areas

Liverpool need more depth in an obvious area that has been mentioned throughout the season, but the bench against Forest has been quite impressive in other positions.

Luis Diaz returned from injury and presented a keen threat from the bench in the second half, when Darwin Nunez also came to occupy the Forest defenders until the dying minutes. These two would be starters for many other teams, so they’re pretty good options to have in reserve for a game like this.

Furthermore, Thiago should in theory add extra control in midfield, although control of a game this season appears to be beyond Liverpool for some reason and Forest were still threatening at one point.

Joel Matip and Joe Gomez would also make excellent centre-backs for many teams, while Harvey Elliott is one of the most promising young England players in the league.

Liverpool have problems and there could be some turnover this summer, but at least two parts of the pitch are building on existing positions.

Divert the blame

The goals Forest scored weren’t the result of clear-cut chances, far from it, but it seemed typical of Liverpool’s 2022/23 season that they entered anyway. The first was a speculative shot from Williams, which hit Robertson and consequently dodged Alisson, despite his objections.

The second hit two players, Ibrahima Konaté and Alexander-Arnold, before finding the back of the net, although it was a well-taken volley from Morgan Gibbs-White.

The xG on those shots was 0.03 for Willams and 0.12 for Gibbs-White, according to Infogol – and Forest’s best chance of the game was Brennan Johnson’s try, which hit the crossbar.

Don’t name the top 4

Just when you think Liverpool are out of contention for the top four this season, after a win, you look at the table and think, hmm…

Maybe a place in the Conference League – just a point behind Villa with one game less.

So perhaps a Europa League place is up for grabs – three points behind fifth-placed Spurs on goal difference. Only then do you realize that Liverpool are just six points behind current fourth-placed Newcastle, even though the Reds have a slightly worse goal difference and have now played a game more.

But it’s not as impossible as once thought, and with Newcastle and Spurs playing each other, every victory becomes more realistic.
Klopp’s team just has to keep winning. It hasn’t been easy this season, but there isn’t a bad time to start.