Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool ends with Mac Allister’s 97th-minute 'heist' that leaves Forest stunned

In Sunday’s nottm forest vs liverpool, Alexis Mac Allister scored in the 97th minute to give Liverpool a dramatic 1-0 victory at the City Ground — a finish many described as a 'heist' that boosts the champions’ Champions League hunt.

How the 97th-minute winner unfolded

The decisive moment came as stoppage time ticked into the 97th minute, when Mac Allister met a loose ball in the Nottingham Forest six-yard box and hammered it home from close range. The move followed a build-up in which Joe Gomez, a late substitute, opted against a long throw and instead found Dominik Szoboszlai infield; Szoboszlai beat Nicolás Domínguez about 30 yards out, jinked left then right and delivered a right-footed cross. Virgil van Dijk headed across goal, Murillo hooked the ball away, and Mac Allister finished from close range. A VAR check cleared Van Dijk for offside.

Nottm Forest Vs Liverpool: VAR, disallowed goal and extended stoppage

The match featured two dramatic VAR interventions. Earlier, Stefan Ortega had palmed Hugo Ekitiké’s header from Rio Ngumoha’s feathery dinked cross away with his right glove; Ola Aina’s attempted clearance struck Mac Allister and flew into the net, but the goal was ruled out because the ball hit Mac Allister’s elbow, which was judged tight to his body. Mac Allister said, "It hit my back and my elbow. I understand the rule but if you understand football, that goal should have stood. " Paul Tierney’s VAR involvement also extended the game, with at least five minutes added before the late winner arrived.

Managers, captain and pundits reacted strongly

Forest boss Vítor Pereira was left numb and said he was "angry with football, " adding that Forest did not deserve to lose. Nottingham Forest players and fans had spent the afternoon dominant; home supporters chanted "In your head, Arne, Arne, Arne" to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries while Pereira’s side pressured the defending champions. Before the game, Arne Slot had never beaten Forest in any of his previous three attempts as Liverpool boss; after the winner Liverpool’s travelling support echoed the same chant in disbelief.

Jamie Carragher called it "one of the biggest robberies I've seen in the Premier League this season" on Sky Sports. Slot described his feelings as "emotions of happiness and relief" and said it was the first time he had to do a different post-match press conference. Slot added, "We did not play a good game. 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. " Slot also called Liverpool’s first half the worst of his tenure, noting they had just two shots (one blocked, one off target) and only three touches in the opposition box in that period.

Captain’s view and team form

Virgil van Dijk said the club must "keep going" to reach its highest level after a performance he described as poor in the first half and better in the second. He highlighted Liverpool’s defensive resilience and noted the side had secured three victories and clean sheets in a row. Van Dijk praised the reaction to the disallowed goal, saying, "The game isn't over until it's over, " and credited long throws from Joey Gomez and a quality ball from Szoboszlai that allowed Mac Allister to finish. He also said the team must keep improving and looked ahead to another difficult match at the weekend against West Ham United.

Aftermath at the City Ground and what it changes

The late winner left Forest floored: Neco Williams lay on the turf while Liverpool celebrated, the away dugout emptied into the technical area and visiting supporters went ballistic. Slot acknowledged the victory moved his side level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United; Chelsea had stumbled to a draw with Burnley, and Manchester United were due to visit Everton on Monday. Pereira’s Forest had shown promising form, backing up a memorable 3-0 win at Fenerbahçe on Thursday, and Pereira had named an unchanged team despite not returning from Turkey until Friday afternoon. The context notes it was unclear in the provided context how Forest’s confidence line continued beyond that point.

Liverpool now turn their focus to the weekend fixture against West Ham United, which Virgil van Dijk singled out as the next test as the team chases improvement and consistency.