Liverpool's season has not been one to cherish, but given the meltdown engulfing Tottenham Hotspur right now, it could always be worse.
The Reds have momentum on their side but with too much ground to make up on the top four. Ahead of a trip to West Ham United on Wednesday, Jurgen Klopp's side are seventh in the Premier League, nine points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand.
With Champions League football unlikely, the best Liverpool can hope for is to usurp Tottenham in fifth to secure Europa League football next season.
Spurs, who parted ways with Cristian Stellini 24 hours after Sunday's annihilation at Newcastle, are rudderless and managerless at a critical stage of the run-in. Aston Villa, in sixth, will also fancy their chances. Liverpool can put the final death knell in Spurs' season when the two meet on Sunday at Anfield.
Liverpool's sharp rise in recent form has largely been down to the masterclass of Mohamed Salah, the once-again dependable Diogo Jota, and the transformation of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Much has been made of the 24-year-old Liverpool defender's new hybrid full-back/midfield role but it is not new phenomenon. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has used John Stones, a centre-back by trade, as a makeshift right-back/midfield anchor several times this season. Stones' quality on the ball is inferior to that of his Liverpool counterpart but his tactical nous creates a bulwark alongside midfield maestro Rodri and means City are rarely outmanned in the centre of the pitch.
While Alexander-Arnold's ability on the ball is not up for question, his defensive fragility is. The conundrum for Klopp is whether to jettison his best passer for a more defensively-minded player or accept that teams will target Alexander-Arnold's right-hand channel.
Alexander-Arnold's influence in his new role was apparent in the 6-1 demolition of Leeds United. As well as two assists, the England international recorded 124 successful passes, the most of his career in one game. Of his eight assists in the league, four have come in his last three games, including supplying Salah's winner against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Liverpool's recent upwards trajectory – the Reds also grabbed a dramatic 2-2 draw against league leaders Arsenal earlier this month – has coincided with a tweak in Alexander-Arnold's role in the team. But his deployment further up the field has also had a knock-on effect for at least one teammate.
Fellow full-back Andrew Robertson, a marauding force in his own right, has had to curb his more attacking instincts to make sure the Reds are not exposed with two defenders high up the field.
“It changed the role slightly, that's clear,” said Klopp when asked about Robertson's recent adaptation. “We cannot have one full-back in the centre of the field and the other one constantly high up on the left side. That's difficult.
“So Robbo has to judge the situations when he can be involved. He's obviously a very experienced player, a very smart player and he knows when we need him there.”
“It's a work in progress,” was Virgil van Dijk's assessment of Alexander-Arnold 2.0, “but we all like it.”
Van Dijk's own form may have well played a part in Klopp's tinkering with his team.
The Dutchman's imperious form of previous years could mask a multitude of shortcomings among his fellow defenders. But Van Dijk has looked out of sorts this term, with Ibrahima Konate largely carrying the burden at the back.
Several misplaced passes in the opening stanza against Forest highlighted a vulnerability in Van Dijk not seen since his Groningen days.
What is clear is that Klopp values Alexander-Arnold's contribution, even if it means leaving Liverpool vulnerable at the back.
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest ratings
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LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson – 6. Denied Gibbs-White with a brilliant stop in the 49th minute. Couldn’t have done anything to keep either of the Forest goals out. AP Photo -
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7. Provided an excellent delivery from a set piece for Van Dijk to test Navas in the 26th minute. Put in another decent delivery for Jota to head wide soon after. Grabbed the assist for Salah's goal with a precise delivery into the Forest penalty area. AFP -
Ibrahima Konate – 5. Almost notched his fourth goal for the Reds with a header that just flashed wide in the eighth minute. Caught ball-watching as Johnson got on the wrong side of him and almost scored Nottingham Forest’s third late on. AFP -
Virgil Van Dijk – 5. Had a shaky start with a number of misplaced passes. Almost put the Reds ahead with a header that was tipped over by Navas in the 26th minute. Beaten in the air far too easily by Felipe in the build-up to Forest’s second goal. PA -
Andy Robertson – 7. Unlucky to unintentionally deflect Williams’ effort past Alisson after the break. Set up Jota a few minutes later with a well-weighted cross into the penalty area to restore Liverpool’s lead. AP Photo -
Fabinho – 7. Was in the right place at the right time to halt a Forest counterattack in the 21st minute. Set up Jota for Liverpool’s opener with a header back into the danger area. PA -
Jordan Henderson - 6. Denied by a Joe Worrall block in the 64th minute. Failed to close down Gibbs-White quickly enough for his goal three minutes later. AFP -
Curtis Jones – 6. A quiet game in the middle of the pitch for Liverpool’s homegrown youngster. He kept things simple and helped the Reds build attacks from deep alongside Fabinho. Getty Images -
Mohamed Salah – 7. Had a quiet game until he popped up behind Freuler to get on the end of an Alexander-Arnold set piece and score Liverpool’s third. Denied a second goal by a Navas save in the 76th minute. EPA -
Diogo Jota – 9. Should have scored when he headed Alexander-Arnold's cross wide from just two yards out in the 38th minute. Made amends for his earlier miss but putting the Reds ahead from close range with a simple header after the break. Scored his second with a beautiful volley into the bottom corner in the 55th minute. Reuters -
Cody Gakpo – 6. Saw an improvised effort cleared off the line by Williams in the 31st minute. Dropped deep in search of the ball in the second half which gave Jota room to do the damage in the number 9 position. AP Photo -
SUBS: Darwin Nunez (Gakpo, 59’) – 6. Helped relieve pressure by drawing a foul from Williams in 87th minute. Should have done better with his header when Robertson’s cross found him in the penalty area a minute later. Reuters -
Thiago Alcantara (Fabinho, 59’) – 6. Brought on to help the Reds regain control of proceedings, Thiago worked hard and was impressive in possession but he lacked the physical presence to halt Forest’s counterattacks. Reuters -
James Milner (Jones, 81) - N/A. Came on and provided support for the struggling Alexander-Arnold at right-back. Getty Images -
Liuz Diaz (Jota, 81’) - N/A. Worked hard after coming on but didn't have a chance to test Navas. Reuters -
NOTTINGHAM FOREST RATINGS: Keylor Navas – 6. Displayed excellent reflexes to tip Van Dijk’s header over the crossbar in the 26th minute. Came up with another good save to deny Jota a hat-trick in the second half. EPA -
Felipe – 7. Made a good block to stop a Salah pass from finding Gakpo in the 43rd minute. Gave Jota too much space and time on the ball to control, juggle the ball and hit it past Navas after the break. Assisted Gibbs-White's goal with a simple header in the danger area. EPA -
Moussa Niakhate – 6. Made a last-ditch challenge to deny Gakpo an attempt at goal in the first half. His long throws in the penalty area caused problems for Liverpool all day. AP Photo -
Scott McKenna – 6. Made a brilliant start to the game but had to go off in the 28th minute due to an injury. AP Photo -
Neco Williams – 7. Denied Gakpo a certain goal by making a goalline clearance in the 31st minute. Drew Forest level against his former employers with a deflected effort after the break. AP Photo -
Remo Freuler – 5. Allowed Salah to easily get on the wrong side of him to score Liverpool’s third goal in the 70th minute. Failed to provide any sort of impact in attack. AP Photo -
Orel Mangala – 6. Tracked back effectively to deny Fabinho space on the edge of the penalty area in the 18th minute. Forced Alisson into a routine save with a weak header late on. EPA -
Renan Lodi - 6. Had an impressive first half during which he Kept Salah quiet. Could have done better with his reaction to Fabinho's header en route to Jota’s first goal. AFP -
Morgan Gibbs-White – 8. Had Nottingham Forest’s first shot on target with an effort that went straight into the arms of Alisson in the 17th minute. Almost drew Forest level with a volley that Alisson managed to punch wide after the break. Assisted Forest’s opener by laying off the ball for Williams to hammer home. Drew Forest level for the second time with a volley in the 67th minute. Getty Images -
Danilo – 5. Deployed in a more advanced role just behind Awoniyi, Danilo failed to make much of an attacking impact but dropped off well to help out in midfield. Reuters -
Taiwo Awoniyi – 7. Put in a good defensive header to clear the lines in the seventh minute. Began the move that led to Forest opener by laying the ball off to Gibbs-White. His impressive hold-up play was crucial to bringing his teammates into the game, and also helping to relieve pressure. AFP -
SUBS: Joe Worrall (McKenna, 30’) – 6. Lost Fabinho for his header en route to the Reds‘ opener. Did well to quickly change his stance and set up Johnson for a shot with an improvised header in the second minute of injury time. Reuters -
Brennan Johnson (Freuler, 76’) - N/A. Thought he’d scored when he lifted the ball past the onrushing Alisson in the 79th minute but his effort came back off the crossbar. Could only hit another effort high when Worrall's flick found him in the penalty area in the closing stages. PA -
Andre Ayew (Awoniyi, 87') - N/A .Struggled to get into the game. Getty Images -
Emmanuel Dennis (Felipe, 87) - N/A. Came on too late to make an impact. Reuters
