Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has slammed the Reds' inconsistency after they slumped to defeat against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.
Taiwo Awoniyi came back to haunt Jurgen Klopp's side as he prodded home in the first-half. The visitors probed Steve Cooper's side with Virgil van Dijk having a handful of chances including a last-minute header which sprung Dean Henderson into action.
Liverpool's injury problems continued ahead of Saturday's early kick-off as Thiago Alcantara was ruled out in the early hours of the morning with an ear infection. The trip to the City Ground came too soon for Darwin Nunez who missed out with a muscle issue.
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Despite the difference in league position, the defeat came as no surprise to Nicol, he said speaking to ESPN FC : "The result on the face of it is a shock but if you sit down and look at Liverpool from the beginning of this season, is it such a huge shock?
"I mean away from home, they've got two draws away from home out of five, they've been inconsistent all season, not just away from home, but at home.
"If you look at the team that finished last year and the team that started against Nottingham Forest, you're talking about six changes, those six changes; Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Carvalho, Milner, Gomez starting. Gomez, lets be honest, has had one incredible game but every game he's making mistakes.
"Right now, Liverpool is Liverpool in name only and we're holding them to last year and previous seasons where they've looked incredible, scoring goals, back line has been solid, this is the Liverpool right now that we still expect to see but half the normal team isn't there, it's not the Liverpool side of last year, they really are struggling so it's not a huge shock."
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