There won't be a more inspired double substitution this season. But how important Kostas Tsimikas and Diogo Jota's first touches come to be in this 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest will only become apparent for Liverpool later down the line.

For now, Arne Slot will instead be forced to stew on a number of big opportunities that saw Forest goalkeeper Mats Sels in superb form to deny his title-chasing side what would have been a major victory all things considered.

Sels thwarted Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Jota during a second-half onslaught and there was even time for the excellent Ola Aina to clear off the line too. There's a reason a stubborn and durable Forest find themselves now second in the table at this stage of the campaign and their refusal to wilt in the face of wave after wave of Liverpool attack showcased exactly why.

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They are not a flash in the pan and while they may not ultimately trouble the Reds for the biggest crown in English football in May, a spot in the top four looks to be a very achievable aim at this juncture, particularly when Chelsea and Manchester City are still stumbling around themselves after both being held to 2-2 draws of their own on Tuesday night. If Liverpool boss Slot is genuine about still considering both as title rivals, then there was no ground ceded here at least.

If impressive defensive performances are just as valid as attacking ones - and they should be - then the hosts will feel themselves worthy of a point, with Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo displaying exactly why only Arsenal have conceded fewer than what is now 20 goals from 21 games. That's the same record as their visitors, for comparison.

The Reds started on the front foot and were dominating possession against a Forest side who had little interest in pressing from the front. Nuno Espirito Santo's men were more concerned about sitting in and inviting their hosts to break them down, but like September at Anfield, it was a razor-sharp move that undid Liverpool, with Chris Wood firing home with the hosts' first shot on target after just eight minutes.

Other than that, Alisson Becker was barely troubled and it will rankle with Slot that his team was opened up so easily to give their opponents something to cling to for the rest of the game. Wood's goal was one of just three shots on target for Forest.

The goal did little to change the pattern of the game itself but Slot's side were unable to create anything in the way of a clear-cut chance with Luis Diaz guilty of a slack pass to Gakpo after Trent Alexander-Arnold's stunning ball had turned defence into attack in an instant later in the half.

Colombia international Diaz always looked to drop deep from his makeshift role as a striker but neither Murillo nor Nikola Milenkovic took the bait, instead holding their positions to make sure they kept it simple whenever the opportunity of a clearance presented itself.

The well-drilled back four of Forest dealt with the threat of the visitors too easily in the first period and the lack of a focal point was evident as Diaz continually picked up pockets of space in midfield in an attempt to impact proceedings.

Jota and Tsimikas were introduced after 65 minutes and within 22 seconds of their arrival, a jubilant away end were celebrating parity after the former had headed home the latter's corner. Jota's eighth of the campaign, in fact, is the quickest goal from a Liverpool substitute since records of that nature started to be collated in the 2006-07 campaign. There can't have been many others that were quicker off the mark before that either.

The No.20 instantly gave Murillo and Milenkovic something different to think about as he occupied both and harried them throughout in his typically tigerish way. The only surprise was that he didn't register a second when Sels made the first of three outstanding saves to keep him out shortly after. Jota's reward for this game-changing contribution should be a consistent and settled run in the team now.

The 'false 9' tactic reserved for Diaz does not necessarily have to be consigned to the dustbin just yet but, when fit, Jota has all the qualities needed to effectively lead the line. He did more than enough here to justify a recall at Brentford this weekend.

Just one win in four across the two weeks of 2025 so far - against Accrington Stanley - is giving some further evidence to suggest the leaders have hit a patch of turbulence at the wrong time and while it is fair to say their brilliance of recent months has been dimmed since the turn of the year, perhaps the sample size is still too small to draw definitive conclusions?

Defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the semi-final is not fatal for Carabao Cup aims, while back-to-back Premier League draws with Manchester United and high-flying Nottingham Forest are hardly causes for a major inquest either. Combine them though and it would be understandable if some apprehension from the supporters is starting to creep in.

A strong performance at Brentford this weekend will go a long way towards steadying those mid-season nerves but Arsenal’s visit from Tottenham on Wednesday will provide more context for how costly this so-far minor blip is. And we should know more about how important those game-changing substitutions were too.