One man’s lonely figures show Liverpool’s real problem in the Forest stalemate

Liverpool’s Premier League meeting with Nottingham Forest has highlighted a familiar problem at the City Ground, with Hugo Ekitike largely uninvolved as the match remained goalless at half-time.

The French forward’s performance is less about individual performance and more about how the game looked tactically, as the flow of possession, territory and chances has rarely reached our number 22.

Florian Wirtz’s late warm-up injury forced a reshuffle, Curtis Jones came into the team and Dominik Szoboszlai initially operated as right back before Arne Slot adjusted the structure midway through the half, but the attacking cohesion never really followed.

Ekitike stats highlight Liverpool’s creativity problem

According to playerthe 23-year-old French attacker recorded minimal offensive involvement during the first half.

“Expected goals (xG) 0.04, total shots 1, shots on target 0, key passes 0, touches 18, accurate passes 4/5 (80%).”

These figures are telling rather than alarming, as they show an attacker infrequently receiving the ball in dangerous areas, rather than missing opportunities.

Ekitike actually competed physically, winning four of seven ground duels and completing two dribbles, suggesting he worked with what he received rather than failing to contribute.

The bigger picture is creating chances, as Liverpool managed just two shots in total, compared to Forest’s 12, and recorded just 0.06 expected goals in the first half.

Forest also had more touches in our penalty area and created the only big chance, illustrating how difficult it was for Ekitike to play as a central point of reference, while the build-up play rarely came through midfield.

Liverpool’s City Ground problems reappear

The pattern fits into the wider history of this match, as our trips to Nottingham have repeatedly turned into low-margin games decided on moments rather than sustained attacking pressure.

Date	Location	Result
November 22, 2025	Anfield	Lost 0-3
January 14, 2025	City land	Draw 1-1
September 14, 2024	Anfield	Lost 0-1
March 2, 2024	City land	Won 1-0
October 29, 2023	Anfield	Won 3-0
April 22, 2023	Anfield	Won 3-2
October 22, 2022	City land	Lost 0-1
March 20, 2022	City land	Won 1-0

That record explains why the pre-match predictions had us narrow favorites, despite Liverpool being sixth in the table and Forest finishing 17th.

Vitor Pereira’s first league match was clearly focused on compact defence, and without runners breaking lines or consistent service from wide areas, Ekitike continued to occupy central defenders in the first 45 rather than threaten them.