Liverpool had one Alexis Mac Allister goal disallowed in the 90th minute and one Alexis Mac Allister goal allowed in the 97th minute, earning Arne Slot’s side a late victory against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The first was ruled out for striking his elbow, and the second was given after a lengthy delay ruled that Ola Aina’s left boot had played Virgil van Dijk onside in the build-up to Mac Allister finding the back of the net with seconds left to play.
The win papers over the cracks of a disappointing display from Liverpool against a team that beat them 3-0 at Anfield earlier in the season.
It moves Liverpool to sixth place in the Premier League, level with Chelsea and Manchester United with 45 points. United have a game in hand against Everton on Monday night.
James Pearce analyses the key talking points as Liverpool profited from a wild finale in Nottingham…
How Liverpool triumphed in crazy finale
From anguish to ecstasy for Alexis Mac Allister.
He hadn’t scored in the Premier League since Liverpool’s emphatic 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur to wrap up the title in April. That long wait looked set to continue after his celebrations were curtailed in the 89th minute at the City Ground on Sunday.
Ola Aina’s attempted clearance cannoned into Mac Allister and flew into the net after Stefan Ortega had produced an outstanding save to keep out Hugo Ekitike’s header from Rio Ngumoha’s inviting cross.
After a lengthy VAR check, Liverpool were rightly denied as replays showed the ball had struck Mac Allister on his elbow. However, Aina’s sense of relief didn’t last long.
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Liverpool continued to press for a dramatic late winner and in the 97th minute, Dominik Szoboszlai’s delivery was nodded goalwards by captain Van Dijk. Forest kept it out but the rebound dropped kindly to Mac Allister, who hammered home from close range.
Yet again, there was an agonising wait, with replays initially suggesting that Van Dijk might have been in an offside position. But the semi-automated technology showed that he had actually been played onside by Aina’s left boot.
Joy for Liverpool, despair for Forest. Mac Allister punched the air in delight in front of the away supporters.
Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, he said: “Mixed feelings. I love scoring, I love winning. In that sense, it’s a really good day. On the other hand, I don’t think we played very well. There are plenty of things we need to improve but it’s always nice when you win.
“It (the first goal) did (hit my elbow) but it was a bit harsh as it hit my back as well. It’s a bit of both. I understand the rules. It feels harsh but it was a fair decision. I thought we were going to get another chance. I had another opportunity and I’m glad it went in.”
Victory massively flattered Liverpool, but in the context of their push for Champions League qualification, it’s a huge result.
Wirtz’s injury in the warm-up is a big worry
Florian Wirtz has grown in stature in recent months.
There have been increasing signs that he is getting to grips with the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
The goals and assists have started to flow, with Wirtz providing a creative spark for Slot’s inconsistent side.
Given his influence, it was a crushing blow to lose the former Bayer Leverkusen man shortly before kick-off at the City Ground after he complained of discomfort during the warm-up.
Wirtz complained of some discomfort after the warm-up at the City Ground (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
A late change to Slot’s line-up saw midfielder Curtis Jones drafted in, but the 25-year-old struggled to get to grips with the contest and was repeatedly caught in possession. Without Wirtz, there was no supply line to Ekitike, who remained isolated for long periods.
Liverpool have caused plenty of problems for themselves this season, but injuries have certainly made life tougher for Slot with his options heavily depleted.
Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni suffered season-ending knee injuries, while record signing Alexander Isak has been out since December due to a broken leg and Wataru Endo (ankle) is also stuck on the sidelines.
Jeremie Frimpong should be back from a groin problem for the visit of West Ham United next weekend. Slot also expects Wirtz to recover in time, telling reporters after the Forest game: “We don’t think it is very serious. He felt his back too much during the warm-up to start. We decided not to play him but hope and expect him to be with us next week.”
Any absence for Wirtz could have serious implications for Liverpool’s hopes of salvaging something from a difficult campaign.
Was this their worst first half of the season?
Liverpool should have been primed and ready to fly out of the blocks against Forest.
The champions had enjoyed the luxury of a full week to prepare for the trip to the City Ground. In contrast, new Forest boss Vitor Pereira named the same 11 who had started against Fenerbahce in the Europa League in Istanbul on Thursday night.
Liverpool had the incentive of trying to capitalise on Chelsea and Aston Villa dropping points in the race for Champions League qualification on Saturday. They would also want to avenge November’s embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to Forest — the domestic nadir of Slot’s second season in charge.
However, what Slot’s side served up in the opening 45 minutes was abysmal. Where was the energy and the intensity? They looked so sluggish and were second best in all departments, with relegation-threatened Forest winning battles all over the field.
“In your head, Arne, Arne, Arne,” chanted the home supporters as the visiting head coach looked on with growing concern.
But for Alisson’s early save from Callum Hudson-Odoi and Van Dijk’s last-ditch tackle on Igor Jesus, Liverpool would have been behind at the break.
Slow starts have been an issue all season. Far too often, Liverpool have gifted their opponents the initiative by making so many careless errors. This was a strong contender for their worst first half of 2025-26. The sight of Alisson hammering a kick straight out of play under no pressure was symptomatic of their woes.
Forest’s tally of 12 shots was the most any side had managed in the first half of a Premier League game against Liverpool since the infamous 6-1 defeat at Stoke City in May 2015.
Attacking-wise, Liverpool offered next to nothing. Before the break, they registered an expected goals (xG) of 0.06. Their total of two shots (none on target) was their joint fewest in a Premier League first half during Slot’s reign.
Salah’s longest Premier League goal drought
There was a wry smile on Mohamed Salah’s face when he saw the No 11 go up on the fourth official’s board with 13 minutes remaining.
It was a desperately frustrating afternoon for the Egyptian attacker, who has now endured the longest Premier League goal drought of his career.
(Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
His previous worst barren run for Liverpool spanned six league matches between December 2020 and January 2021, and February to March 2019.
Earlier in his career, he fired blanks in eight top-flight appearances for Chelsea between April 2014 and January 2015. However, he’s now failed to score in nine league matches for Liverpool since netting in the home win over Aston Villa on November 1.
It should be said that Salah has still been making a contribution — he’s scored in victories over Qarabag in the Champions League and Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup over the past month.
But if his all-round display against Brighton eight days earlier suggested he had rediscovered his spark, his performance against Forest represented a real backwards step.
Salah got no change out of full-back Neco Williams as the former Liverpool academy youngster kept him quiet. Even when Salah did get away from him midway through the second half, he lacked the pace required to make the opening count.
Last season’s Premier League Golden Boot winner, with 29 league goals, only has four to his name in late February. Salah could have no complaints when Ngumoha was brought on to replace him.
What did Slot say?
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Liverpool head coach agreed his side had a slow start. “It was fine margins,” Slot said. “We really struggled in the first half. We were the lucky ones scoring in the extra time.
“In the first half, the only part I liked was the defending in our box. We showed a different Liverpool in the second half. We tried to bring fresh wingers in and that led to our first disallowed goal. Joe Gomez brought the long throw-in.
“I have seen us defending poorer in our own box this season. That might be down to the quality of Forest. I am surprised by the league position they are in. We did not give away many big chances but we gave the ball away every time.”
What next for Liverpool?
Saturday, February 28: West Ham (Home), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET