SILVER may be now an acceptable alternative to gold so far as entry into next season's Champions' League is concerned, but if Liverpool are not careful they may find themselves having to settle for bronze.

The draw at Forest lost two-thirds of the ground gained following Manchester United's defeat at Sunderland the previous weekend. The performance suggested that Liverpool had learned nothing from throwing away a three-goal lead against Newcastle at Anfield five days earlier.

Robbie Fowler eventually won them that game with a header in stoppage time, and at the City Ground he gave Liverpool an early lead, scoring with an astute touch and shot, from Jason McAteer's centre, which should have led to a comfortable victory. Instead, and having missed several chances to put the contest well beyond Forest's reach before the half-hour, Liverpool's passing became caught up in its own labyrinthine complexity.

Another goalkeeping error by David James threw another set of drowning men an unexpected lifeline, Ian Woan eventually equalising after the goalkeeper had failed to gather Stuart Pearce's free kick. But for McAteer's brave goal-line clearance early in the second half, when a collision with Dean Saunders forced him out of the match with a gashed head, Liverpool might have lost.