Nottingham Forest left Anfield with all three points for the second successive season, with Morgan Gibbs-White scoring for the third time in three matches.
Sean Dyche has got his feet firmly under the table at the City Ground, and even he might have been surprised just how easy this was for his troops at the home of the reigning champions.
Forest were formidable from the get-go. Murillo scored in the 31st minute, Igor Jesus had a goal disallowed shortly after and 39 seconds into the second half, Nicolo Savona had his second goal in three games.
Liverpool still didn’t respond, and with 20 minutes remaining on the clock, Gibbs-White stepped up to score his third goal in as many Premier League games, offering a reminder to Thomas Tuchel in the process.
Morgan Gibbs-White claps the Forest fans after beating Liverpool
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Gibbs-White proves his point after England omission
Actions often speak louder than words in football. Gibbs-White will know that he didn’t start this season particularly well, but then, in fairness, not many Forest players did.
Gibbs-White has ramped up his efforts on the pitch since Dyche replaced Ange Postecoglou, and quite clearly, he’s enjoying his football and thriving in his role as captain.
On Saturday, his performance was superb as he operated in his usual role as a number 10 and wearing the armband, he excelled for the Reds.
Gibbs-White put the icing on the cake for the Reds from a scoring perspective, and it’s pretty clear that he has the ultimate incentive to continue producing the goods for Forest.
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Will Morgan Gibbs-White make the England squad for the 2026 World Cup?
Gibbs-White has it all to do to make the World Cup squad
At 25-years-old, the 2026 World Cup likely provides Gibbs-White with his one opportunity to play on the grandest stage when he’s at his closest to his peak.
Getting in the squad won’t be easy. He missed out on this month’s squad for dead rubbers against Serbia and Albania, and although he said Thomas Tuchel rang him personally, the decision will have hurt him.
Morgan Gibbs-White stats vs Liverpool Total
Minutes 90
Goals 1
Pass Accuracy 86.4%
Unsuccessful Touches 3
Who Scored Rating 7.75
With the likes of Phil Foden missing squads recently and Cole Palmer to come back into the attacking mix before the squad is named for the tournament, Gibbs-White getting a place won’t come easily.
However, it’s clear that he’s not going to give up a place alongside Elliot Anderson on the plane to the World Cup and Gibbs-White’s performance at Anfield sent an extremely strong message to the Three Lions head coach.