Liverpool settle for draw after valiant Forest effort

Diogo Jota, it turns out, does not like fairytales. Nottingham Forest were closing in on a club record-equalling seventh successive league win and a first double over Liverpool since 1963 in a raucous East Midlands atmosphere.

- PETE HALL

AT THE CITY GROUND

More pertinently, had Chris Wood’s early strike at a jubilant City Ground steered Forest to a famous success, they would, without fear of ridicule, be able to call themselves credible title contenders, despite having only secured their survival on the final day of last season.

Alas, Leicester’s incredible feat nine years ago may well continue to be a one-off, after Jota, with his first touch after stepping off the bench, earned Liverpool a valuable draw to preserve his side’s six-point advantage atop the Premier League.

The pre-match feeling around the City Ground, as the soothing sound of bagpipes bounced off the Trent, was something a generation of Forest supporters have yet to experience.

Those old enough to remember when Forest regularly competed for titles at home and abroad will have told many a tale of the Brian Clough glory days, but their offspring have only really known toil and struggle.