Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool: nottm forest vs liverpool — 'Heist' at Forest boosts Liverpool's top-four hopes
nottm forest vs liverpool finished 1-0 after Alexis Mac Allister scored a 97th-minute winner at the City Ground, a late turn of events that has been described as a "heist". The ending — including a disallowed goal, a VAR overturn and a marginal offside check — left managers, players and fans reacting strongly.
Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool
The match at the City Ground ended Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool after Alexis Mac Allister's stoppage-time strike. Mac Allister's winner arrived in the 97th minute and took Liverpool level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United, who sit in fourth and fifth. Forest remain two points clear of the drop zone.
Late VAR overturn explained
A key moment came earlier when a Liverpool goal was initially given and then overturned after a VAR check. Referee Anthony Taylor and VAR Paul Tierney reviewed an incident in the buildup at around the 90-minute mark: Forest defender Ola Aina attempted to clear, the ball rebounded off Alexis Mac Allister and into the net. 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. " Tierney's quick review identified that the ball had deflected off part of Mac Allister's arm, with the tolerance level at the sleeve level, and the decision to overturn was judged correct under the laws that bar a goal scored by use of hand or arm even if accidental.
Offside check and final decision
The winning goal at 97 minutes also required a VAR check. The semi-automated technology was used to assess Virgil van Dijk's position when the cross arrived; the review showed Van Dijk was marginally onside and the goal was allowed to stand. Mac Allister smashed the ball home from close range after seizing on a loose ball, having earlier seen an effort ruled out.
Forest domination and stats
Nottingham Forest dominated large parts of the match, with 12 of the 14 shots in the first half. Callum Hudson-Odoi was clean through and was denied by Alisson. Hugo Ekitike should have beaten Stefan Ortega in one late moment, and another incident saw Ortega make a great save from Ekitike before Ola Aina's attempted clearance ricocheted off Mac Allister and into the goal that was later disallowed amid handball scrutiny. 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 Vitor Pereira's side dominated the defending champions.
Reactions and manager quotes
Vitor Pereira said he was "angry with football" and that "Forest did not deserve to lose. " Jamie Carragher called the result "one of the biggest robberies I've seen in the Premier League this season" and added that "Liverpool have been monstered physically" and "This team cannot cope when it's end-to-end in the Premier League. " Arne Slot 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. " Mac Allister said: "It hit my back and my elbow. I understand the rule but if you understand football, that goal should have stood. " He also reflected: "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. "
Lineups, ratings and match detail
Nottingham Forest: Ortega, Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus, Hutchinson. Subs: Ndoye, Bakwa, Dominguez, Lucca, McAtee (n/a). Liverpool: Alisson, Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Jones, Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo. Subs: Ngumoha, Chiesa, Gomez (n/a), Robertson (n/a). Player of the Match was Ibrahim Sangare.
Additional notes: Vitor Pereira was taking charge of Nottingham Forest for the first time in the Premier League and had selected the same line-up that won away to Fenerbahce on Thursday. Pereira had been aiming to become the first Nottingham Forest manager not to lose their first Premier League game in charge since Dave Bassett in 1997. The match saw Curtis Jones come in as a No 10 before switching positions with Dominik Szoboszlai after about half an hour. Commentary reflected that Liverpool had been dull for most parts but praised their resilience, with the closing moments described as carnage and the win labelled a "heist. " Don Hutchison reflected on Mohamed Salah's performance during Liverpool's late 1-0 win in a 0: 57 clip. Andy Davies, a former Select Group referee with over 12 seasons on the elite list who has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and Championship, has provided analysis of how such VAR decisions are reached.
Liverpool are now six points behind Aston Villa in third. For Nottingham Forest the result leaves them perilously close to the drop, though there was optimism that performances like this could keep them safe.
The full sequence of events — Ortega save from Ekitike, the disallowed rebound that struck Mac Allister, the VAR handball overturn, and the 97th-minute finish allowed after an offside check — defined a match that produced strong reactions on and off the pitch.
