Enzo Maresca has been delighted with Chelsea's attacking prowess in the early weeks of his reign but says they have much to improve at the other end ahead of hosting Nottingham Forest. 

Maresca has made a strong start to life at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues unbeaten in five Premier League matches (four wins, one draw) since a matchday one defeat to Manchester City.

No team's Premier League games have produced more goals than Chelsea's so far in 2024-25, with Maresca's men scoring 15 times and conceding seven.

Forest's games, meanwhile, have contained the fewest goals of any side in the top flight (11, six for and five against).

Chelsea edged another goalfest on Thursday as they beat Gent 4-2 in the Europa Conference League, leading Maresca to call for defensive improvements. 

"I think we are performing very positively, especially in attack, it's going very well so we are happy," Maresca said.

"As I said many times already, for sure there are always things we can do better. We can attack better, we can defend much better.

"But the most important thing we can learn is that we cannot switch off. For their second goal, we saw that the game was already finished. 

"If we want to take a step forward, even when you the game is almost finished, you have to continue and not give away another goal, but it was a good performance and result. 

Forest, meanwhile, saw their unbeaten start to the campaign halted by Fulham last time out, losing 1-0 in the absence of star midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who was suspended after being sent off at Brighton one week earlier.

The England international has told BBC Sport he is working on controlling his temperament, saying: "If I'm at 70% or 60% going into a game, I can't play like that. 

"I have to be 150% all the time. I always have to be on it and I like the feeling of having control in a game.

"Sometimes when we're having none of the ball I get frustrated, but that's when the control comes in and to understand what the manager wants from this moment."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Chelsea – Cole Palmer

Palmer became the first player in Premier League history to score four times in the first half of a game as Chelsea beat Brighton 4-2 last week. 

Since his debut for Chelsea in September last year (a home defeat to Forest), Cole Palmer has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other player (43 – 28 goals, 15 assists). 

Nottingham Forest – James Ward-Prowse

Forest may need some dead-ball magic if they are to earn a result, and specialist Ward-Prowse has a fine record against the Blues.

Ward-Prowse has been involved in four goals in his last five Premier League starts against Chelsea (two goals, two assists), netting the winner on his last start at Stamford Bridge with Southampton in April 2023.

MATCH PREDICTION – CHELSEA WIN

Forest won this exact fixture 1-0 last season – only once have they ever won consecutive away league games against Chelsea, doing so on their first two visits to Stamford Bridge in 1907 and 1908.

Indeed, Chelsea have won just one of their four Premier League meetings with Forest since the latter returned to the top-flight in 2022 (two draws, one loss), though it was a 3-2 victory in the teams' last such game in May.

However, since their return to the competition, no team has lost more Premier League away games in London than Forest (10). 

They have lost each of their last four in the capital, conceding three or more goals each time, which will give an in-form Blues attack plenty of confidence.

Chelsea have won nine of their last 11 Premier League games (one draw, one defeat), netting at least twice in eight of those nine victories. Indeed, the Blues are the top scorers in the league this season (15) and also have the highest shot conversion rate (20.3%).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Chelsea – 62.3%

Nottingham Forest – 17.8%

Draw – 19.8%

Fulham boss Marco Silva is delighted to see Raul Jimenez back to his best, after his 50th Premier League goal gave them all three points against Nottingham Forest.

The Mexican has struggled for regular goals since a serious head injury he suffered playing for Wolves against Arsenal in November 2020.

But Jimenez, who joined Fulham in July 2023, has started this season superbly and has now scored three goals in three successive matches, and he proved the difference against Forest with a well-dispatched penalty.

Silva told BBC Sport: “It's great to see him back at that level again after that bad incident when he was at Wolves. It was tough for him to come back.

"In an important moment of his career, when he was struggling for goals, we showed trust in him, and believed in him. He got used to scoring before the incident but we trusted him.

“From the first moment at this club he showed his hard work and his quality. It's nice to see him score and be decisive for us."

Silva also revealed that Jimenez had apologised for taking the ball off designated penalty taker Andreas Pereira prior to scoring from the spot.

He told Premier League Productions: “Pereira was the penalty taker for the moment. It is not Andreas' fault but it is clearly the fault of Raul.

"It is already decided. It is already sorted. It is not going to happen again. Has Raul apologised? Yes. He had to because he knows the rules and how important discipline is in our squad."

Jimenez is now just four goals away from Javier Hernandez's record as the most prolific Mexican player in Premier League history.

He said: "Yes, why not break records and set new ones. He [Hernandez] was a very good player in English football and now it's my time and I want to keep scoring.

“The most important thing is the three points. It's early in the season, and we have a long way to go, but being there is good for us. We want to make history for Fulham and know we can achieve more."

Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo admitted his side were not at their best, though they still had chances to get back into the match, as they fell to their first defeat of the season.

“Not the best game from us,” Nuno said to BBC Sport. “But we still created near the end and had opportunities to score, we have to bounce back in the next one.

“I’m disappointed for the fans – we are sad, but we have to go again.”

Nuno refused to be drawn on the penalty decision, with VAR intervening after an infringement between Murillo and Pereira, replays showing the defender scraped his studs along the latter’s calf.

He said: “If we start speaking about the referees, I don’t know if it’s the best thing. I hope they improve. I don’t want to go much further than that.”

Fulham brought Nottingham Forest's unbeaten start to the Premier League season to a halt with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the City Ground.

There was very little to choose between two sides separated by a mere point at kick-off, but Raul Jimenez’s second-half penalty, awarded for Murillo's foul on Andreas Pereira, proved decisive.

Forest had started brightly with Taiwo Awoniyi missing an early chance, while Chris Wood saw a potential opener disallowed for offside following a VAR review in the 25th minute.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo's team failed to find a spark without the suspended Morgan Gibbs-White as Fulham's own impressive start to 2024/25 continued.

The result leaves Forest ninth in the table with nine points, with Fulham leapfrogging their hosts to move into sixth on 11 points.

Data Debrief: Fulham maintain unbeaten run

Fulham are undefeated in their last five games in the Premier League since going down 1-0 at Manchester United on the opening matchday.

They last enjoyed a streak of this length between December 13, 2020 and January 10, 2021.

Jimenez has now scored three goals in his last three games, maintaining his good record against Forest, with three goals in two matches against them.

Fulham brought Nottingham Forest's unbeaten start to the Premier League season to a halt with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the City Ground.

There was very little to choose between two sides separated by a mere point at kick-off, but Raul Jimenez’s second-half penalty, awarded for Murillo's foul on Andreas Pereira, proved decisive.

Forest had started brightly with Taiwo Awoniyi missing an early chance, while Chris Wood saw a potential opener disallowed for offside following a VAR review in the 25th minute.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo's team failed to find a spark without the suspended Morgan Gibbs-White as Fulham's own impressive start to 2024/25 continued.

The result leaves Forest ninth in the table with nine points, with Fulham leapfrogging their hosts to move into sixth on 11 points.

Data Debrief: Fulham increase their unbeaten streak while Jimenez remains in the goals

Fulham are undefeated in their last 5 games in the Premier League, their last joint longest unbeaten streak was from 13th December 2020 to 13th January 2021.

Jimenez has now scored three goals in his last three games, and continues his good record against Forest, with three goals in two matches against them.

Emile Smith Rowe already feels at home at Fulham, as the former Arsenal man looks to continue his positive start to the season at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Smith Rowe left Arsenal after 14 years at the club to join Marco Silva's team in a deal reportedly worth up to £35million last month, and he has wasted no time in making an impact.

He has contributed to goals in each of his first three home games with Fulham (two goals, one assist), scoring their second goal in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Newcastle United.

Ahead of this week's trip to the City Ground to face Forest, who are one point better off than Fulham and still unbeaten, Smith Rowe said he was delighted with his start. 

"I couldn't be happier, we just had another really good performance and now it's onto the next one," Smith Rowe told the club's website.

"I think it's all been about getting my confidence back and getting back on the pitch. Everyone knows it's been a difficult couple of years for me.

"I'm feeling really happy out on the pitch and the gaffer is giving me so much confidence. I'm really happy here and it feels like home already, so it's good."

Forest, meanwhile, played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Brighton last time out, going 1-0 up through Chris Wood's opener before falling behind, only for Ramon Sosa to score a second-half equaliser.

Speaking after that game, New Zealand striker Wood said: "It is always good to get something out of the game when coming away from home in the Premier League. Brighton is a tough place to come, they are a good side.

"We got into the lead well and they weren't causing us too many problems until the goal went in. Then we went on a down spell and they had a good spell. They are a good side, and that's how it goes.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't capitalise on it but we have strong character in the group, fought back and scored a lovely goal to equalise."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood

Since Nuno Espirito Santo's first game in charge of Forest on December 23 last year, only five players have scored more Premier League goals than Wood (14 in 21 games).

Wood has converted 29% of his shots in that time (14/48), while he also netted in a 3-1 victory for Forest when they last hosted Fulham on April 2.

Fulham – Andreas Pereira 

In the Premier League in 2024, only Kevin De Bruyne (74) has created more chances than Fulham's Pereira (66), with 41 of those coming via set-plays, the most of any player. 

It is the most Premier League chances created by a Fulham player in a calendar year since 2011 (Danny Murphy, 74).

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Fulham have won more league games against Nottingham Forest than they have versus any other opponent in their league history (42). They have won eight of their last 11 against the Tricky Trees, losing three.

However, Forest's 3-1 victory in this exact fixture last term ended a run of four straight home league defeats to Fulham. They last beat them in back-to-back home league matches in 2014-15.

Nuno's side should enter the match in high spirits as one of just four sides who remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season, alongside Manchester City, Arsenal and Brighton.

Forest last avoided defeat in their opening six matches of a league campaign in 2014-15 in the Championship (first 11). 

Fulham, however, have also performed well, with only City (36), Spurs (35) and Liverpool (34) bettering their 28 shots on target in the Premier League this season. Their current average of 5.6 shots on target per game is their best in any Premier League campaign. An entertaining draw could be on the cards.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Nottingham Forest – 39%

Fulham – 34.4% 

Draw – 26.5%

Brighton forward Danny Welbeck urged his side to learn from a "harsh lesson" after Nottingham Forest snatched a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

Welbeck curled home a delightful free-kick for his 70th Premier League goal, with that finish coming after Jack Hinshelwood's 42nd-minute header had cancelled out Chris Wood's early penalty.

Fabian Hurzeler's side appeared in control of the Amex Stadium clash, until Jota Silva was released on a decisive counter-attack before teeing up Ramon Sosa's 70th-minute equaliser.

Though Brighton have now managed to start a top-flight season unbeaten in five games for the first time in history, Welbeck acknowledged the Seagulls must use this draw to improve.

"Considering the position we were in, 2-1 up, the feeling is disappointment. It is really hard to take," the former Arsenal and Manchester United forward told Sky Sports.

"It is a harsh lesson for us but it is one we have to analyse and work through on the training pitch and make sure if we are in this position again it doesn't happen again.

"The game has ended in a draw again when we really should have closed it out so it is really frustrating. A lot of disappointment in the dressing room and in the whole club, fans included."

Welbeck left Matz Sels rooted to the spot with his first-half strike, marking his only goal in the Premier League from a free-kick, with what was just his fourth such attempt.

"I've had a couple of close ones recently and it fell nicely for me," the veteran striker said of his fine finish. 

"It was in a spot where I fancied my chance and it was a good free kick, one that I am happy with. We move on to the next one now."

An enthralling clash was somewhat overshadowed by Morgan Gibbs-White's late red card, with both head coaches – Hurzeler and Nuno Espirito Santo – also dismissed for their furious touchline reactions.

Hurzeler's enforced exit left Brighton coach Andrew Crofts to take post-match media duties, though he was left slightly confused with the referee's decision.

"Late in the game where we're trying to push to win the game and there's a foul right by our bench. The player is going for the ball but it felt like a foul, their bench felt differently," Crofts told BBC Sport.

"I didn't see too much of it but the referee sent the managers off. I'm not 100% sure [why Hurzeler was sent off]. I haven't seen it back. I'll ask him when I see him.

"We're frustrated. We felt we should have won the game. We created lots of chances [but] we probably would have wanted to create more chances."

Nuno's assistant coach Rui Silva echoed a similar bemusement after both head coaches were given their marching orders.

"From my point of view, from the bench Morgan's tackle looked like a fair tackle [on Joao Pedro]," Silva told BBC's Match of the Day. "A strong one but a fair one, not one to hurt anyone. 

"The referee has a different point of view, we don't have to agree but that is the decision he made.

"Then on the coaches, I did not hear anything. It was an emotional moment. I did not hear anything from the mouth of Nuno that said anything towards the referee, he only stated his point of view.

"He was of course probably emotional but nothing more than his point of view. The Premier League is very intense, so it is normal for the game to be intense for us on the bench as well.

"We are always respectful to the referees, nothing against them, just us living the game."

Brighton and Nottingham Forest maintained their unbeaten Premier League starts as an entertaining 2-2 draw resulted in both sides missing the chance to leap into the top four.

The pair, along with Manchester City and Arsenal before their heavyweight clash on Sunday, remain as the only sides undefeated in the competition this season after a chaotic encounter at the Amex Stadium.

Chris Wood sent the visitors ahead with a 12th-minute penalty, only for Jack Hinshelwood's fine header to restore parity before Danny Welbeck curled a sumptuous free-kick past Matz Sels on the stroke of half-time.

Welbeck should have made it 3-1 but was denied by the sprawling legs of Sels early into the second half, and that superb stop proved pivotal with 20 minutes remaining.

Ramon Sosa snatched the equaliser against the run of play, with fellow substitute Jota Silva selflessly offloading for his team-mate after breaking through Brighton's high line.

Morgan Gibbs-White was then dismissed for two cautions, with Fabian Hurzeler and Nuno Espirito Santo both following for their touchline reactions, in an ill-tempered ending that befitted an enthralling clash.

Data Debrief: Free-kick delight for Welbeck

Welbeck's first-half goal turned this clash on its head, marking his 70th strike in the Premier League, but his very first from a direct free-kick with what was only his fourth set-piece attempt.

Indeed, Brighton have only scored four Premier League goals via a direct free-kick but all have come from different players, with Welbeck joining Pascal Gross, Alexis Mac Allister and Lewis Dunk.

That Seagulls set-piece success proved to matter for little, however, as Nuno's roll of the dice from the bench paid dividends yet again.

Only one of Forest's first 319 Premier League goals were both scored and assisted by a substitute, though now two of their last three have come from that method after Sosa and Silva linked up in deadly fashion.

Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga praised their clinical nature for their shock win at Liverpool and is hoping to carry into their trip to Brighton.

Forest have made an impressive start to the Premier League season, with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool – their first win at Anfield in 55 years – the pick of their results.

They are unbeaten so far, with two wins and two draws under their belts, leaving them seventh in the table.

Despite the positivity currently surrounding the club, Elanga is not getting ahead of himself.

"Since the start of pre-season, the atmosphere has been good," Elanga told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We went to Liverpool and not many teams can beat them and play the way we did – we got rewarded with it at the end.

"We have started the season well, but we have still got 35 games left – we have to go game by game.

"Last season we played the big sides and played well, it was marginal difference, and they were clinical. [On Saturday], we were clinical."

They face a Brighton side also yet to lose this season, and the Seagulls sit just one place above them in the table having scored more goals.

Brighton followed up their last-gasp win over Manchester United with two draws but bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Wolves in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Evan Ferguson returned to the starting line-up for that match, and though he failed to get on the scoresheet, Fabian Hurzeler backed him to get back to his best soon.

"I think we saw in some situations how good he can be," Hurzeler said.

"He had some shots in the first half, he worked hard against the ball. He can't be on the level already that he wants to and like he was before in the Premier League in the prime of his individual performance.

"We will try to get him there; he needs to train at 100%, and he needs to use every training session to get as fit as possible, and then I'm sure that he will help us."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton – Jan Paul van Hecke

Jan Paul van Hecke has made the most ball carries (116) in the Premier League this season, and subsequently carried the ball the furthest distance (1149 metres) of any player so far.

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White

Morgan Gibbs-White has created more chances from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season (11).

MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN

Brighton are unbeaten so far in the Premier League this season (W2 D2) – they have never remained without defeat in their first five games of a top-flight season, last doing so in any division in the 2015-16 Championship.

Hurzeler's men have drawn their last two Premier League games. Indeed, of all teams to have played in more than one campaign in the competition, the Seagulls have seen the highest share of their games finish level (32.2% - 87/270).

Brighton have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four home league games against Nottingham Forest (W3 D1), having lost the previous two while conceding three goals each time.

Indeed, having been unbeaten in eight top-flight meetings with Brighton between 1980 and 2023 (W6 D2), Forest lost home and away against the Seagulls last season.

Forest have won their last four Premier League away games, including their 1-0 win at Anfield last weekend, more than they had in their first 36 on the road following their return to the division in 2022 (W3 D9 L24). They last won five consecutive away games (in any division) in January 1994, and last did so in the top-flight in March 1989.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton – 52.3%

Draw – 24%

Nottingham Forest – 23.7%

The Premier League is back after the international break, with plenty more thrills and spills to keep everyone entertained.

Manchester United got back to winning ways with a sweeping 3-0 win over Southampton, while Nottingham Forest stunned Liverpool at Anfield.

Manchester City continued their perfect start with a comeback win over Brentford, and on Sunday Arsenal claimed bragging rights in the North London derby.

But who were the lucky winners and the unlucky losers to emerge from this weekend's set of fixtures, according to the underlying metrics?

With the help of Opta data, let's find out.

Lucky winners: Nottingham Forest

Liverpool had made a perfect start to life under Arne Slot and were yet to concede a goal heading into matchday 4, but after a two-week break, things were not quite as rosy.

The Tricky Trees had faced 26 strikes before Callum Hudson-Odoi's long-range effort curled beyond Alisson, ending a 55-year wait for a Forest win at Anfield.

Forest managed just five shots in the game, creating an expected goals (xG) of 0.44, with Hudson-Odoi's strike only contributing 0.07 to that. They also managed just five touches in the opposition box.

Liverpool may not have been at their high-flying best, but they had 34 touches in the opposition area and had 14 attempts on Forest's goal but could not find a way through a well-drilled Nuno Espirito Santo side as Slot got his first taste of defeat in the job.

Unlucky losers: Brighton

Technically, Brighton were not 'losers' as they continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 0-0 draw with Ipswich Town.

But based on the metrics, they were unlucky not to come away with three points against the newly promoted side.

The Seagulls had a whopping 21 shots at the Amex Stadium, but accumulated just 1.66 xG, and only managed to test Arijanet Muric on six occasions despite their continued dominance.

They also had three big chances, from which players would have been anticipated to do better, but Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter failed to convert them as Fabian Hurzeler's side endured a frustrating day.

Lucky winners: Arsenal

Most Arsenal fans will not care how the victory over rivals Tottenham happened, just that they came away from the visit with three points, but the Gunners were savvy in their victory.

Indeed, Arsenal's two lowest possession averages (on record) in a Premier League game against Spurs have both come in 2024, with Sunday’s match their lowest total (36.3%).

Mikel Arteta's side did create a slightly higher xG (0.74 to 0.71), but from a much lower shot count as they only had seven attempts on Spurs’ goal, with Gabriel Magalhaes’ close-range header worth 0.23 xG.

It was Arsenal's lowest xG of the season so far (0.87 xG on MD2 is second), but their clinical edge proved the difference against a wasteful Spurs.

Unlucky losers: Fulham

Like Brighton, Fulham do not class as losers as they drew 1-1 with West Ham, but Marco Silva will be disappointed to have let the three points slip from their grasp. 

Raul Jimenez's goal looked to have earned them a second win of the season until Danny Ings' clinical finish denied them.

Fulham were another of the teams to have 21 shots this weekend, the joint-most along with the Seagulls, though their 1.54 xG came in slightly lower, despite creating four big chances, of which they squandered three.

West Ham had only accumulated 0.52 xG until Ings' intervention, pushing it up to 0.76 with their third and last shot on target, condemning the Cottagers to a second consecutive draw.

Arne Slot slammed Liverpool's performance after their perfect start to his reign came crashing to a halt with Saturday's surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest.

Callum Hudson-Odoi's deflected second-half strike proved decisive as Forest earned their first league victory at Anfield in 55 years, having last triumphed on the ground against Bill Shankly's Reds in 1969.

Liverpool's 14 shots throughout the game gave them a total expected goals (xG) figure of just 0.87, with only five of those attempts forcing Matz Sels into action.

The Reds boasted a 69.6% possession share but only marginally beat Forest's 56 final-third entries with 70 of their own, leaving Slot to bemoan their lethargic play in possession.

"The result frustrates me the most and we cannot be happy about how the game went. It was a stop-start game and we hardly created any chances," Slot told BBC Sport.

"We only have to look at ourselves, we have to be better. Far too many times we lost the ball around the area, it was not good enough. We have to be better with the ball.

"Our decisions and execution weren't good enough. 

"In general, we defended quite well but the two fast players came on and made it difficult for us. We took a lot of risks and in the end it was a very good goal."

Liverpool have now lost two of their last five Premier League matches at Anfield (three wins), having only lost one of their previous 58 before this run.

Forest, meanwhile, have won four straight away Premier League matches for the first time since 1995, and they sit just one point behind Liverpool in the early-season standings.

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo was delighted with their defensive work, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "Liverpool are such a good team, it required a lot of effort from the players... the organisation, tackling and the covering.

"The only way to achieve anything here is if you are organised and do everything that you can.

"When you start the way we started with our wingers, Nico Dominguez and Elliot Anderson – all the effort of them tracking Liverpool's full-backs, it is a lot of energy.

"We are working hard and it is about building and believing in this idea that you can develop."

Callum Hudson-Odoi's goal gave Nottingham Forest their first league victory at Anfield in 55 years and ended Liverpool's perfect start to life under Arne Slot on Saturday.

Substitute Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal of the game after 72 minutes, capping a lightning Forest counterattack with a curling strike that deflected in off Ibrahima Konate.

Liverpool had earlier gone close through Luis Diaz as he struck the base of the post in the first half, but they struggled to pose Nuno Espirito Santo's men too many problems in a flat display.

The defeat, which comes after impressive shutout victories over Ipswich Town, Brentford and Manchester United, means Liverpool have lost early ground on Manchester City, who now boast a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Forest, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in 2024/25 and move up into fourth place with eight points, just one behind Saturday's opponents, who stay second.

Luis Diaz had the first real chance of the match when he rattled the post after 16 minutes, dispossessing Ryan Yates at the byline before cutting inside from the left and seeing his shot bounce clear off the woodwork.

Matz Sels almost caused Forest's undoing just before half-time as he spilled Diaz's looping header, but it was his team-mate Hudson-Odoi who got the eventual winner. 

Cutting inside from the left, he bent an effort towards the far corner, with a deflection off Konate carrying it out of Alisson's reach to condemn Liverpool to defeat.

Data Debrief: Forest end Anfield hoodoo

It is the first time Nottingham Forest have won away at Liverpool in the league since winning 2-0 against Bill Shankly's side in 1969.

It is also the first time Forest manager Nuno has achieved Premier League victory against Liverpool, having lost his previous seven meetings with them.

Since the start of last season, meanwhile, winning goalscorer Hudson-Odoi (four) is third only to Phil Foden (six) and Eberechi Eze (five) for goals scored from outside the box in the top flight. 

Arne Slot insists Liverpool will not be distracted by the contract situations of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all of whom are set to become free agents next year.

Liverpool are yet to tie down any of their star trio to new deals despite them entering the final 12 months of their contracts, with Salah's future in particular making headlines.

After scoring in the Reds' 3-0 win at Manchester United ahead of the international break, Salah said he was keen to enjoy this season in case it proves to be his "last year" at Anfield.

Since Alexander-Arnold made his Premier League debut in December 2016, only Salah (253) has bettered his 229 league outings for Liverpool.

Captain Van Dijk, who joined in 2018, is sixth on that list with 200 appearances, behind Andy Robertson (221), Roberto Firmino (211) and Alisson (204).

Speaking ahead of Saturday's meeting with Nottingham Forest, however, Slot outlined his confidence that any contract negotiations will remain in the background.

"Again, it's the boring answer, but we don't talk about contracts here," Slot said.

"Is it a distraction? No, it isn't, I am fully focused on the individuals and the team to work with them to get the best possible out of them. It's not a distraction for me at all."

Alexander-Arnold is yet to complete a full 90 minutes in the Premier League under Slot, being replaced by Conor Bradley in all three of Liverpool's games this term.

Slot believes he is now ready for a full outing, however, having impressed while playing the full 180 minutes as England beat the Republic of Ireland and Finland under interim coach Lee Carsley.

"He proved he could do 90 minutes. He became tired in the Ipswich game. He's completely ready to play 90 now," Slot said of Alexander-Arnold. 

"We have another player like Conor Bradley, who can do the job really well. We have a whole team to manage and it's also good for Conor to get his playing minutes. 

"It's not always the individual, I look at the team and the whole squad for the fixtures."

Arne Slot insists Liverpool still have a lot to prove despite winning all three of their opening Premier League fixtures ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to Anfield on Saturday.

The Dutchman is looking to become the first manager to keep four clean sheets in their first four league games at the helm, with the Reds the only side in the division yet to concede this term.

Liverpool's defensive improvements have been overshadowed by their fluidity in attack, which was evident in their impressive 3-0 win over Manchester United before the international break.

But Slot explained that not much needed tweaking to resolve the Reds' defensive rearguard that conceded 41 goals last year, acknowledging his side's good start means nothing just yet.

"I normally don't use the word 'proud' but what I think we did very well in all three games is, like I just mentioned, the work rate without the ball," Slot said.

"So, we try to press the opponent as high as we can but if they play through or over our press, I see everybody working really hard to make sure we don't need Alisson. 

"I don't think that much difference. You are used to, if you followed Liverpool for a long time, them pressing really high. That's what we try to do now as well.

"Like I said, three games played, the first two with Ipswich and Brentford were difficult opponents. A good start, let that be clear, but still a lot to prove.”

Forest, meanwhile, will be looking to put an end to Liverpool's perfect start to the season to maintain their own unbeaten run in the top flight this term. 

Nuno Espirito Santo had to settle for a point against former club Wolves last time out but will be able to unleash his late additions in the transfer window at Anfield. 

James Ward-Prowse and Morato joined on the final day of the window, with the Forest head coach hopeful the pair can provide the rhythm that was missing last time out. 

"First half the game was not in the rhythm - too much disruption," Nuno said. 

"The rhythm of the game for both teams was lose possession, a disrupted game. One positive is we scored and the negative is we conceded so quickly.

"It changed in the second half, we were more dominant and we put Wolves against the ropes."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool – Diogo Jota

Jota has enjoyed his previous meetings with Forest, scoring six goals in five appearances against them in all competitions. 

He has netted in all three of his games against the Tricky Trees for Liverpool (four goals), which is his longest scoring run against a single opponent in his English club career.

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood

Wood has scored four of Nottingham Forest's last five Premier League goals, including two of their three so far this season.

However, Wood has never scored in 11 league appearances against Liverpool, only facing Chelsea (12) more times in the Premier League without scoring.

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

Both sides come into the contest with an unbeaten Premier League record this campaign, but it is Liverpool who are expected to come out on top, winning 75.9% of Opta's data-led simulations.

The Reds are unbeaten in their last 25 home league games against Nottingham Forest (W20 D5), winning the last six in a row. Their last such defeat was in February 1969 under Bill Shankly (0-2).

Liverpool have won all three of their Premier League games under new manager Slot without conceding a single goal. No manager in the competition's history has kept a clean sheet in each of their first four matches in charge, while only six have won each of their first four, most recently Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in 2018.

The hosts have only lost once in their last 24 Premier League matches that have immediately followed an international break (W18 D5), going down 4-1 at Manchester City in April 2023. When playing at Anfield in the league straight after an international break, Liverpool have not lost since September 2014 against Aston Villa (0-1).

But Forest are unbeaten in four Premier League matches (W2 D2), their longest such run under Nuno, while not since February 2023 have they enjoyed a longer unbeaten streak in the division (five games).

However, the Tricky Trees have lost their last three Premier League games against Liverpool, their longest run of league defeats against the Reds since a run of five between 1983 and 1985.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Liverpool – 75.9%

Draw – 14.3%

Nottingham Forest – 9.8%

Wolves earned their first point of the Premier League season following a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.

Chris Wood's towering header was cancelled out by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's stunning strike as the spoils were shared at the City Ground.

The hosts took the lead in the 10th minute as Wood rose to nod home from Elliot Anderson's corner.

However, the visitors were level just two minutes later in spectacular fashion, with Bellegarde firing a stunning long-range volley into the roof of the net.

Gary O'Neil's side had Sam Johnstone to thank after the break, with the debutant producing a strong hand to deny Wood his second goal of the game.

Matheus Cunha curled a shot just wide while the offside flag denied Wood later on, with Forest unable to snatch victory but extending their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Data Debrief: Wolves end losing streak while Wood matches Collymore

After opening the season with two defeats and eight goals conceded, Wolves stopped the rot with a welcome point against their Midlands rivals, while ending a five-game Premier League losing streak in the process.

Meanwhile, Forest remain unbeaten in their opening three games of a top-flight season for the first time since 1995-96.

Heading his side into the lead, Wood became only the second Forest player to score in both their first two home matches in a Premier League season since Stan Collymore 30 years previously. 

Nuno Espirito Santo chose not to dwell on his time with Wolves, with full focus on maintaining Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten start to the season when his former side visits the City Ground on Saturday.

Espirito Santo spent four years at the helm in the West Midlands, helping them win promotion to the Premier League during the 2017-18 season.

But full focus for the Forest head coach turns to league action following their EFL Cup exit to Newcastle United on penalties in midweek after their 1-0 win over Southampton five days ago.

However, with the transfer window slamming shut ahead this weekend’s round of action, Espirito Santo said he is keen to bolster his squad, but would not be doing so without careful consideration.

"There's a lot of love and respect from our time that we worked there - it was special,” Espirito Santo said. “It's a different game [to usual] and I wish them all the best for the other 36 games of the season.

"We have 36 hours, I think the club is working to bring solutions and options to make us stronger and have a competitive squad.

"It's all about the profile of the player - it's not easy, especially in these last hours but it's also not easy because we already have talent and quality in the squad. As a club we are working and I expect to bring in some players."

Wolves, meanwhile, are yet to get off the mark in the league after their 6-2 thrashing against Chelsea at Molineux but progressed to the third round of the EFL Cup with a win over Burnley on Wednesday.

The encounter against the Championship side offered Gary O’Neil the opportunity to give some of his fringe players some much needed minutes after a productive pre-season campaign.

But much like his opposite number, O’Neil was looking ahead to Friday’s deadline, insisting that some big decisions would be made before they make the short journey to the East Midlands.

"I am pleased. I thought we looked good and we did really well,” O’Neil said. “It was an opportunity for some players to get minutes because they have worked hard during training and in pre-season.

"I was confident that we would see a good team performance and they did not let us down.

“It was good to see where a few of them are though, because there are some big decisions coming up in terms of transfers and team selections."

"I am pleased. I thought we looked good and we did really well,” O’Neil said. “It was an opportunity for some players to get minutes because they have worked hard during training and in pre-season.

"I was confident that we would see a good team performance and they did not let us down.

“It was good to see where a few of them are though because there are some big decisions coming up in terms of transfers and team selections."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White

Since Gibbs-White’s Premier League debut for Forest after arriving from Wolves, only five players have created more chances from open play in the competition than he has (108).

He has continued his fine form into this campaign, already creating six open play chances which is a total only bettered by Liverpool’s Luis Diaz (seven) after the first two games.

Wolves – Matheus Cunha

Matheus Cunha has become a pivotal player for O’Neils side in the attacking areas and has now been involved in 17 goals in his last 19 Premier League starts for the club (11 goals and six assists).

The Brazilian has also enjoyed fixtures against Forest, scoring three goals in his three appearances against them, only scoring more against Chelsea (four).

MATCH PREDICTION: NOTTINGHAM FOREST WIN

Nottingham Forest are expected to continue their fine start to the Premier League season, winning 45.6% of Opta’s data-led simulations, with Wolves given a 29% chance of emerging victorious at the City Ground.

The Reds have taken four points from their opening two games this season (W1 D1). They last avoided defeat in their opening three games in a top-flight season in 1995-96, going on to finish 9th.

No side has had more shots than Forest in the Premier League this season (37), while they have had the most shots on target of any team (16). Since returning to the Premier League in 2022-23, Forest have had eight or more shots on target in five games – four of those have come in their 23 games under Nuno Espirito Santo, compared to once in 55 games under Steve Cooper.

However, their recent record against their Midlands rivals is one they will be looking to change. Forest have won just one of their last 11 league games against Wolves (D5 L5), last beating them 2-0 at Molineux in January 2018,

Wolves are unbeaten in their last six away league games against Saturday’s opponents (W3 D3) since a 3-1 loss in March 2013, but have lost their last five Premier League matches, conceding 18 goals. They last had a longer losing run when losing the final three games of 2020-21 and opening three games of 2021-22.

Wolves have also won just one of their last 20 Premier League matches in August (D9 L10), a 1-0 away win at Everton last year. Overall, they’ve won just 15% of their games in August (5/33), the lowest win ratio in that month by any side to play in more than one season in Premier League history.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nottingham Forest – 45.6%

Draw – 25.4%

Wolves – 29%