Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool: Mac Allister’s last-gasp winner and VAR drama

Alexis Mac Allister’s 97th-minute finish settled a dramatic nottm forest vs liverpool clash, turning a late disallowed effort into a match-winning goal and leaving VAR decisions central to the result. The goal secured three points for Liverpool and marked a turbulent evening for Nottingham Forest in Vítor Pereira’s first league game in charge.

Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool: the goal, the handball call and the offside check

Mac Allister first saw an effort ruled out for handball just before stoppage time, a decision that prompted an enraged reaction from Arne Slot. Replays showed a Forest clearance from Ola Aina smashing into Mac Allister’s back before the ball crossed the line after Stefan Ortega had initially saved a Hugo Ekitiké header. Referee Anthony Taylor and VAR Paul Tierney were involved in the reviews: Taylor announced, "After review, the ball hits the arm of the goal scorer, Liverpool No. 10 [Mac Allister]. Therefore, it's an accidental handball by the goal scorer, so the final decision is a direct free kick. " A subsequent VAR offside check at 97 minutes examined Virgil van Dijk’s position; semi-automated technology showed van Dijk marginally onside and the goal was ultimately allowed to stand.

VAR process and expert assessment: Anthony Taylor, Paul Tierney and Andy Davies’ view

The match featured two linked VAR interventions. The first saw Taylor overturn an original decision because the ball deflected off Mac Allister’s arm during Ola Aina’s clearance attempt. Paul Tierney conducted a quick VAR review that noted the deflection off part of Mac Allister’s arm, with the tolerance level at the sleeve. Later, Tierney checked an offside involving van Dijk; the technology showed him marginally onside and the goal was given. Andy Davies, a former Select Group referee with more than 12 seasons on the elite list who has worked in the VAR space, judged the handball overturn to be correct under the Laws of the Game, which state a goal cannot stand if scored by use of the hand or arm even when accidental.

Forest’s promising form and Pereira’s first league game after Istanbul

Vítor Pereira’s side arrived buoyed by Thursday’s 3-0 win at Fenerbahce and he named an unchanged team despite the squad not returning from Turkey until Friday afternoon. Murillo, who opened the scoring in midweek, was prominent, and his centre-back partner Nikola Milenkovic unleashed a powerful strike from distance seconds before half-time. The coach opted to keep the momentum from Istanbul, but the late defeat flattened Forest on a night that had shown encouraging signs.

First-half pressure, missed chances and lineup changes

Forest were aggressive from the first whistle, with Ibrahim Sangaré stealing the ball from Curtis Jones and looping a cross for Callum Hudson-Odoi that forced Alisson into a save inside two and a half minutes. Slot’s side had only two first-half shots—one blocked and one off target—and recorded just three touches in the opposition box. Florian Wirtz pulled out of the warm-up and Curtis Jones took his place. Omari Hutchinson sent a low effort at goal, Virgil van Dijk swiped the ball away from Igor Jesus as the striker shaped to shoot, and Elliot Anderson—described as the best player on the pitch and highly fancied by Thomas Tuchel—curled wide when aiming for the far corner.

Liverpool’s second-half improvements, key moves and wider matchday notes

Liverpool were stodgy for long periods but improved after the break. Their first clear attacking move arrived in the 53rd minute when Cody Gakpo cut inside from the left and floated a cross to Mohamed Salah at the back post; Salah cushioned a header down to Jones, whose volley was blocked by Stefan Ortega. Until the final moments of stoppage time, that was Liverpool’s only other effort on target. Salah contributed little else before being replaced by 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha. The result moved Liverpool level with Chelsea, who were held on Saturday, and with Manchester United, who were not in action until Monday’s trip to Everton. Across the matchday, other outcomes included a Guessand goal handing Crystal Palace a late win over a 10-man Wolves and Alex Iwobi scoring Fulham’s third at Sunderland. Commentary voices on the day included Matt Jarvis, a former Wolves winger, and Pat Nevin, a former Chelsea winger, while observers noted Liverpool had around 80% of the ball in the second half and Stefan Ortega produced a fine save to deny Curtis Jones earlier in the game.