Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool: Mac Allister’s 97th‑minute 'heist' boosts hopes

In a match summed up by frantic final moments, nottm forest vs liverpool finished with Alexis Mac Allister scoring a 97th‑minute winner at the City Ground to make it 1-0. The result was described by some as a "heist" and left strong reactions from both benches and the travelling support.

How the late goal came

The decisive sequence began deep into added time. Stefan Ortega pawed away a header from Hugo Ekitiké (also shown as Ekitiké in some accounts) that followed a dinked cross from Rio Ngumoha’s wide delivery. Forest defender Ola Aina tried to clear but his clearance struck Alexis Mac Allister, cannoning off Mac Allister’s elbow and into the net; that effort was disallowed by VAR for handball. The intervention of VAR referee Paul Tierney had already extended play by at least five minutes of added time.

Liverpool reorganised and Joe Gomez, a late substitute, opted not to throw long but to find Dominik Szoboszlai infield. Szoboszlai faced Nicolás Domínguez about 30 yards out, beat the Forest midfielder with a jink left then right and delivered a right‑footed cross. Virgil van Dijk headed across goal; while Murillo hooked the clearance away, Mac Allister was on hand to hammer in from close range. A second VAR check cleared Van Dijk for offside and the goal stood — Mac Allister’s winner in the 97th minute.

Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool reaction

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira said he was "angry with football" after the finish, and Vítor Pereira was later described as left "numb" in his first league game in charge. Home fans had earlier chanted "In your head, Arne, Arne, Arne" to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries as Pereira's side dominated much of the match. The travelling Liverpool support were singing the same chant in disbelief as the players made their way to the away end after the late winner.

Jamie Carragher called it "one of the biggest robberies I've seen in the Premier League this season. " Neco Williams was left on the turf as Liverpool celebrated; the away dugout emptied into the technical area and the visiting support went ballistic.

Van Dijk: 'It's a process'

Virgil van Dijk said the team must "keep going" to reach their highest level after the dramatic win at the City Ground. He praised the reaction in the second half and stressed the need for continuous improvement: the club want to play at their absolute highest level and it is a process. Van Dijk highlighted set‑piece danger from Forest and singled out Hugo Ekitike’s big chance that he felt "should have been scored. " He also noted that Liverpool needed long throws from Joey Gomez and that the delivery from Dom (Szoboszlai) created the chance: "I was just onside and Macca just had to finish it off, " he added.

Forest's poor first‑half showing

Arne Slot's side were described as dull for large parts but praised for resilience after the late strike. Slot had failed to beat Forest in each of his previous three attempts as Liverpool boss before this game, and he admitted the team "did not play a good game" and that they had been on the wrong side of the score after good performances too often this season. Slot said his emotions were "happiness and relief" and that the team had "got more than we deserved, " adding that a draw would have been a fair result.

Slot described his side’s first half as the worst of his tenure: two shots in the first half, one blocked and the other off target, and only three touches in the opposition box. He told players he wanted to give them energy and referenced a stronger second half performance — pointing to their ability to improve after a poor first period, as happened in a previous second half against Manchester City.

Wider context and implications

The win moved Liverpool level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United, who sit fourth and fifth. Chelsea had stumbled to a draw against Burnley, and Manchester United were due to visit Everton on Monday. Liverpool's victory at the City Ground was their third successive victory and third clean sheet in a row. For Forest, the performance followed a memorable 3-0 win at Fenerbahçe on Thursday; the Forest head coach had named an unchanged team despite not returning from Turkey until Friday afternoon. It was noted that Liverpool had last played eight days before, raising questions about momentum and freshness.

Mac Allister reflected on his disallowed strike and the winner: "It hit my back and my elbow. I understand the rule but if you understand football, that goal should have stood, " he said, also admitting "The first half wasn't good at all; positioning, pressing, intensity. It was not our standard. The second half... it was better. " Arne Slot said simply: "I think we got more than we deserved. "

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Liverpool now prepare to maintain the momentum; Van Dijk warned it will be "another difficult one at the weekend" against West Ham United as the team seeks consistency after a tense night at the City Ground.