I saw Nottingham Forest player show why he could play for any club in the world vs Liverpool

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Nottingham Forest stood toe-to-toe with the best team in England last night, drawing 1-1 with Premier League leaders Liverpool at the City Ground.

Chris Wood opened the scoring after eight minutes on Trentside. Wood had been praised by Arne Slot in the lead-up to the contest and clearly his ego was suitably massaged as he struck the first blow.

Wood’s early goal didn’t prove to be a knockout blow for the title hopefuls though. They managed to pick themselves off the canvas and claim a valuable point when Diogo Jota headed home from a corner with 24 minutes remaining.

Forest were indebted to Matz Sels after that. The goalkeeper made several stunning saves to thwart Liverpool and ensure that an unbeaten run for his team extended to eight matches.

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Murillo proves how good he is with Liverpool masterclass

This was a night when Murillo transformed from a boy to a man. His performance defied logic and had someone thrown a brick towards the Forest goal, he’d have likely stopped that too!

It’s no secret to people at Forest just how good the defender is. Manchester City wanted Murillo before he moved to the City Ground and they might be regretting not parting with £10.6 million to sign him.

Ian Wright has lauded Murillo previously for his Forest form. His reputation is growing rapidly and Evangelos Marinakis pulled off a masterstroke in the summer when he managed to keep him at the club.

Murillo has now been offered a new contract at the City Ground. Sadly, that doesn’t mean that Forest will keep him any longer, but it means he will earn a higher salary and make it more difficult for any suitor to prise him away from the Reds.

Murillo stats vs Liverpool

Watching on from my position in the upper tier of the Trent End, it was a privilege to witness this masterclass. Along with the entire defensive unit, Murillo stood up to pretty much everything Liverpool threw at the team.

The Brazilian is going all the way to the top. During the game, the realisation set in that there probably isn’t a manager in world football who wouldn’t pick Murillo as a starter in their best eleven.

Despite his tender years and relative inexperience when it comes to men’s football, the belief on Trentside is that Forest wouldn’t swap Murillo for any other centre-back in world football right now.

The majestic performer is elegant beyond belief. The fact he’s left-sided naturally makes him easier on the eye but he boasts the strength of a Wes Morgan and the ability to play a raking cross-field pass like Michael Dawson all rolled into one immense player.

Murillo will continue doing his utmost to take Forest places this season. As a fan, it’s hard to remember a centre-back possessing quite as much potential and the best thing about reaching the Premier League has been getting the chance to witness players of this nature in full flight.