SUB – LIME

NOTTINGHAM. — Arne Slot will never make a better substitution in his career.

Nottingham Forest were rolling with the punches and hanging on comfortably to their slender lead, following Chris Wood’s early opener.

For the first time this season, Liverpool’s title charge looked on the verge of being derailed as Forest appeared to be on course to dish out a second defeat to the Dutchman. But it’s when the chips are down the great bosses earn their lolly – and some go on to become legends.

That’s when Slot turned to his bench and sent on Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota for Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson.

But even he couldn’t have imagined the instant impact his changes would make.

Because 22 SECONDS later Liverpool were celebrating one of great turnarounds of the Dutchman’s career as Tsimikas delivered a corner from the right with his first touch.

And Jota stole between Murillo and Chris Wood to head past Matz Sels to score a sensational leveller with his first touch to maintain Liverpool’s stranglehold at the top of the table.

Seconds earlier Jota had hugged with his old boss Nuno Espirito Santo on the sideline – yet Nuno must have known better than anyone what the little striker was capable of.

Jota has now scored seven goals in his last seen games against Forest and he could have had a hat-trick if he wasn’t denied by two stunning Sels stops.

Suddenly Liverpool looked like champions and Mo Salah cursed his luck twice as Sels defied him with a stunning save before Ola Aina cleared another netbound effort off the line.

In the end a share of the points will please both sides after Chris Wood picked the ideal time to score his first ever career goal against Liverpool after eight minutes.

For a while it looked as if the 33-year-old hitman had blown the title race wide open — until Slot played his jokers!

The City Ground seemed to have turned the clock back to the heady days of the 70’s and 80’s when this pair regularly battled it out for all the major prizes.

Forest were in their traditional red, white and red Adidas kit — Liverpool, as they used to be in yesteryear, white-shirted with black shorts.

Then, just before kick-off, the hairs on the back of your neck rose as Forest fans belted out their anthem Mull of Kintyre as the City Ground cranked the volume up to 11! Yet it was Liverpool who found their feet first as they pinned the home side back from the first whistle.

Cody Gakpo was first to let fly with an ambitious attempt which sailed high and wide.

Then Ryan Gravenberch sliced a similarly ambitious effort high into the Trent End. When the Dutch midfielder worked a one-two with Mo Salah to carve Forest open, only to fire over again, Arne Slot couldn’t hide his frustration and spun round in his technical area. — The Sun.