Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest Timeline & H2H Stats

When you think of Liverpool’s main rivalries, the main ones that pop into the heads of most people are Everton and Manchester United. Nottingham Forest’s absence from the top-flight means that not everyone will think of them as being a major rival of the Reds, but they remain a team that a lot of older Liverpool fans in particular don’t have much time for. There is even a mention for them in a song from the Kop that goes, “We hate Nottingham Forest, we hate Everton too. We hate Manchester United, but Liverpool we love you”. If that doesn’t demonstrate a long-held dislike from the Merseyside club towards the East Midlanders, nothing will.

The sides would meet regularly in the top-flight, as well as facing off against one another in cup competitions and even on the European stage. The late 1970s was when the two clubs properly began to come into regular contact with one another, winning the biggest prizes available. One of the biggest reasons for a dislike of Forest from the point of view of Liverpool supporters was the manner in which the club’s most successful ever manager, Brian Clough, reacted to the Hillsborough Disaster. It was Forest and the Reds who were playing at the Sheffield ground when disaster struck, with Clough falsely blaming the Liverpool fans for many years.

Clashes in the Late 1970s

Although Liverpool and Forest didn’t meet in the FA Cup final during the 1970s and 1980s, the two sides did meet on other big stages. At the end of the 1977-1978 season, Nottingham Forest were the great insurgents into the First Division. They had finished third in the Second Division the season before and been promoted, performing so well that they challenged Liverpool for the title, with the Reds having won the First Division for two seasons in a row. Not only did they challenge for it, they actually won it at Liverpool’s expense, finishing seven points ahead of the Merseyside club whilst also facing them in the League Cup final.

The first match ended in a 0-0 draw requiring a replay, which Nottingham Forest won 1-0 thanks to a penalty that shouldn’t have been given, with the foul by Phil Thompson having been outside the area. Having won the European Cup for two years in a row, Liverpool were then knocked out of the competition by Forest the following season. Clough’s men went on to win it, also enjoying success a year later. In the First Division, meanwhile, Forest finished second to the Reds, ending up eight points behind them. For Forest, it ended up being something of a flash in the pan, with Liverpool going on to win another seven titles.

Liverpool’s Full Match History Against Nottingham Forest