Arne Slot was left ruing Matz Sels' impressive performance that denied leaders Liverpool victory in their top-of-the-table clash at Nottingham Forest.
Chris Wood's goal gave Forest the lead at half-time, but after substitute Diogo Jota equalized with his first touch, Sels made a series of incredible saves to give his team a point.
“Their goalkeeper is having an excellent season and it's very difficult to score against them,” Slot said. “We only conceded one counterattack in 98 minutes of total dominance, but unfortunately they scored.
'In the second half we created a lot of chances but we have to give credit to Nottingham. They defend well and throw themselves in front of each center.
“We wanted three points but the players gave everything. We played excellent football in the second half and created one chance after another.
“I don't remember ever making a substitution that worked as quickly as the one that brought on Jota, but I'm not proud of it. We needed goals. Scoring from a set piece was not something I had in mind when I brought him on.
Arne Slot's side were hampered by a resolute Nottingham Forest defense late in the 1-1 draw.
Matz Sels made a series of crucial saves in the closing stages of the game to keep Forest level.
Slot's men have a six-point lead over Forest with a game in hand, but the Dutchman reiterated his claim that Forest are among their rivals for the title.
Nuno Espirito Santo's men continue to defy expectations with their deep defense and counter-attacking, and were disappointed only to finish with a point.
Nuno said: “We are a big club. We don't need to prove to anyone that we work at a big club. The players respect each other and won't let anyone stop believing we can achieve something nice.
'After the game in the locker room the players did not judge his performance fairly. They were disappointed that Liverpool had created so many chances. But if you have this feeling, it means that we are slowly progressing towards what we want to become.'
Forest face Southampton at the weekend, while Liverpool travel to Brentford.
Slot added: 'Forest have done well in some tough away games and it shows they can compete at the top of the table. They have had most of their players available this season and that is a compliment to their staff. “If they can keep the same players on the field, I don't see any reason why they would lose a lot of points.”