However, football can be a funny old game and it would be the visitors who would surprisingly walk away from Anfield with all three points, courtesy of a Callum Hudson-Odoi strike deep into the second 45 minutes.
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That would silence the Anfield masses watching on, who would have been very disappointed with the collective showing against Forest being so lacklustre, as the likes of Mohamed Salah, among others, had a very rare off-day.
Salah's performance vs Forest
Salah was nowhere near his sumptuous best against Nuno Espirito Santo's underdogs, having completely torn Manchester United to shreds at Old Trafford just the game before this shock loss back on home turf.
Out of five dribble attempts on the day, the usually electric and tricky Egyptian would only complete one as Forest managed to keep him at bay, whilst the quiet Reds number 11 would only muster up two on-target efforts as well at Matz Sels' constantly targeted net.
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Likewise, the tenacity and energy usually apparent in the 32-year-old's game wasn't there, with just two duels won from nine attempted, as Forest's gameplan to stifle the usually free-flowing Reds attack worked to perfection.
There will be somewhat of an inquest now after this sobering defeat, involving many of the first-teamers that had sparkled under Slot in August, with Salah receiving a 5/10 rating post-match by Liverpool Echo journalist Ian Doyle, who labelled his showing as "frustrating" on the whole.
It wasn't only the former Chelsea man that let himself down in this slim loss, however, with Dominik Szoboszlai also way off the pace, after really coming into his own under Slot in previous Premier League clashes.
Szoboszlai's performance vs Forest
Heading into this contest, the Hungarian midfielder would have been over the moon with his early season form, having looked lively under the new Dutch manager with one assist notched up from four league games.
However, everyone is prone to having a bad day at the office as was seen in the ex-RB Leipzig man's showing at the weekend, with the midfielder squandering possession a dire 18 times in total which then helped the away side to build up more confidence.
Szoboszlai's performance in numbers
Stat
Szoboszlai
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Expected goals (xG)
0.16
Expected assists (xA)
0.08
Touches
75
Accurate passes
46/59 (78%)
Possession lost
18x
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the table above, Szoboszlai's performance lacked that killer pass to unlock the rigid Forest defence, with 75 touches of the ball and 46 accurate passes resulting in nothing of note being created, with a poor 0.08 next to his name in terms of xA.
In stark contrast, the below-par Reds number eight would amass 11 fewer accurate passes versus Erik ten Hag's bewildered Man United side but managed to pick up an assist, as his display in that game was more on the front foot - like the rest of his on-fire teammates - and less pedestrian.
Liverpool's midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai in action against Manchester United
The 23-year-old would also fall victim to a low 5/10 rating from the Liverpool Echo after the dust had settled on the shock loss, with Doyle stating that Szoboszlai made 'too many wrong decisions' on the day that proved costly.
Slot could well have to rejig his line-up after such a disappointing defeat, therefore, with Szoboszlai potentially one name on the chopping block up next, as Liverpool begin their Champions League journey versus AC Milan this coming Tuesday night.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot-1
It wasn't going to be all smooth sailing for the Reds under a new managerial regime, with the first bump in the road out of the way, as the likes of Salah and Szoboszlai are now well aware that they will have to step up their game.
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