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Liverpool had to turn to the bench for answers against Nottingham Forest as Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas combined to secure the Reds a vital Premier League point.

The pair were brought on at the same time by Arne Slot as Tsimikas whipped in a perfect corner for Jota to allow the Portuguese international to beat Matz Selz between the sticks with a simple header, all within 22 seconds of coming on together.

With Jota saying he told Tsimikas to assist him from the set-piece before being brought on, the goal brought about plenty of praise given how perfect the move seemed, with Steve McManaman lauding the ‘ridiculous’ Slot tactical move.

And Slot himself has now responded to suggestions that the substitute was deliberate in that moment.

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Speaking to BBC Sport, the Dutch coach waved off the idea that his decision to bring on Jota and Tsimikas to specifically combine for Liverpool’s equaliser was nothing short of ‘luck’, with Slot unwilling to admit he pulled off a ‘tactical masterclass’.

Slot said: “If it had been open play then people could maybe say it was a tactical masterclass but it was a set-piece so I don’t think I deserve any credit for that.

It was a substitution where we brought an attacker on for a defender and the fact it immediately led to a goal you could say it was luck.”

With Slot also raving about Jota and Tsimikas after their crucial involvement in securing Liverpool what could be a key point in the Premier League title race, it’s safe to say that the former Feyenoord manager was just as surprised as everyone else when the pair combined just under 30 seconds after coming on.

And heading into this weekend’s tie against Brentford, Slot could look to start Jota and Tsimikas given how impressive the pair were after being brought on, with the Liverpool pair looking sharp in a big match for the Reds last night.

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Liverpool’s trip to Forest was billed as their biggest game of their January schedule, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in incredible form and now firmly in the Premier League title race after their performance last night.

Yet despite the scoreline, Slot lauded his Liverpool side for their ‘outstanding’ second-half performance against Forest as the Reds became the first team in over 700 Premier League minutes to finally break the Garibaldi’s defence.

Indeed, some Liverpool fans will feel that all three points were on offer at the City Ground, but given how good Forest have been this season, coming away with the honours even was a fair result, with all attention now focused on Saturday.

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