Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool – 'Heist' at the City Ground after 97th-minute winner

nottm forest vs liverpool ended in dramatic fashion as Alexis Mac Allister scored a 97th-minute winner to give Liverpool a 1-0 victory at the City Ground. The closing stages featured a disallowed goal for handball, a late VAR offside check and vociferous reactions from both sets of supporters and managers.

Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool drama

Alexis Mac Allister first appeared to have given Liverpool an 89th-minute lead when Ola Aina’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Mac Allister and into the net, but the goal was ruled out for handball. Anthony Taylor was the referee and Paul Tierney the VAR; 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. " The overturned goal came after Stefan Ortega had made a great save to deny Hugo Ekitike.

Late VAR decisions and review

After the disallowed effort, VAR checked a later move at 97 minutes for offside involving Virgil van Dijk when the cross arrived. A VAR review used semi-automated technology and showed Van Dijk was marginally onside, so the stoppage-time finish was allowed to stand. A review of the earlier overturn found that the ball had deflected off part of Mac Allister’s arm before going into the goal, with the tolerance level at the sleeve; that intervention was judged correct, even if harsh in feeling.

Forest performance and first half dominance

Vitor Pereira's Nottingham Forest dominated large parts of the afternoon. Pereira said he was "angry with football" and his side did not deserve to lose. Forest had 12 of the 14 first-half shots and should have scored when Callum Hudson-Odoi was clean through only for Alisson to save. Ibrahim Sangare was described as having dominated the game in midfield and was named Player of the Match.

Reactions from managers and players

Arne Slot, whose side had failed to beat Forest in his previous three attempts as Liverpool boss, said: "My emotions were emotions of happiness and relief because this is the first time I have to do a different post match press conference. " Slot added: "We did not play a good game. We have been on the wrong side of the score after a good performance too many times. We got more than we deserved. A draw would have been a fair result. We needed to be on the right side of things once in a while. It felt we have been lucky. "

Jamie Carragher called it "one of the biggest robberies I've seen in the Premier League this season. " Alexis Mac Allister said: "It hit my back and my elbow. I understand the rule but if you understand football, that goal should have stood. " On the team's performance he added: "The first half wasn't good at all; positioning, pressing, intensity. It was not our standard. The second half, I wouldn't say it was good but it was better. " Don Hutchison reflected on Mohamed Salah's performance during the late 1-0 win.

Line-ups, ratings and context

Pereira was taking charge of Nottingham Forest for the first time in the Premier League and was aiming to become the first Nottingham Forest manager not to lose their first Premier League game in charge since Dave Bassett in 1997; he selected the same line-up that had won well away to Fenerbahce on Thursday.

Nottingham Forest ratings: Ortega, Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus, Hutchinson. Subs: Ndoye, Bakwa, Dominguez, Lucca, McAtee (n/a). Liverpool ratings: Alisson, Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones, Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo. Subs: Ngumoha, Chiesa, Gomez (n/a), Robertson (n/a).

Standings and immediate consequences

The winner took Liverpool level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United, in fourth and fifth. Liverpool are now six points behind Aston Villa in third. Pereira's Forest remain two points clear of the drop zone but were left feeling aggrieved by the late decisions.

Andy Davies, a former Select Group referee with over 12 seasons on the elite list who has operated in the VAR space, outlined the process and rationale behind the match-day VAR protocols and the Laws of the Game that led to the overturned goal and the later allowed strike.

For large parts of the afternoon the home fans chanted "In your head, Arne, Arne, Arne" to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries as Pereira's side dominated the defending champions; the travelling support eventually echoed the chant after Liverpool's stoppage-time turnaround.

Liverpool recovered from what some described as a "horror show" first half to snatch a crucial three points, while Forest were left to rue late VAR drama and a result many felt they did not deserve.