Alexis Mac Allister Seals Late Winner As Liverpool Beat Nottingham Forest 1-0

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Alexis Mac Allister struck in the 97th minute to give Liverpool a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, capping a tense Premier League match at the City Ground. The late goal brought Liverpool level on points with fourth-place Chelsea and denied Forest the chance to extend their cushion above the relegation places.

The Argentinian midfielder had already seen one possible winner ruled out minutes earlier. Hugo Ekitike’s header drew a save from Stefan Ortega, Ola Aina’s attempted clearance hit Mac Allister’s elbow and crossed the line, but a VAR check spotted the handball and the goal was cancelled after a lengthy review.

Mac Allister responded by staying involved in Liverpool’s push for a decisive moment. Deep into stoppage time, Virgil van Dijk met a cross with a powerful header that Ortega saved, but Mac Allister reacted first and slid the loose ball in from close range. VAR examined a possible offside against van Dijk, yet this time the strike stood.

The dramatic finish extended a familiar Premier League pattern for Liverpool. At 96:10, this was their fourth-latest winning goal on record in the competition since 2006-07. Two of those four late winners have now arrived away at Forest, underlining how often Liverpool turn tight league matches in added time.

Liverpool again showed an ability to rescue results that appear to be slipping away. This victory marked the 48th time they have scored a Premier League winner in the 90th minute or later. That figure is at least 12 such late winners more than any other club in the competition’s history.

Mac Allister also halted a personal league drought. The midfielder had gone 27 Premier League appearances without a goal before scoring here with Liverpool’s decisive strike. Mac Allister produced 0.72 expected goals from Liverpool’s overall total of 1.76 xG and converted with the only shot on target taken by the player.

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Forest had controlled long spells of the first half, particularly down their left side. Callum Hudson-Odoi twice troubled Liverpool’s defence, at one point holding off Dominik Szoboszlai before Alisson smothered a close-range stab at goal. Elliot Anderson also drilled a low effort wide, as Forest missed chances to seize an early lead.

Liverpool’s plans were disrupted before kick-off when Florian Wirtz suffered an injury in the warm-up. Curtis Jones stepped into the starting line-up and almost broke the deadlock after the interval, arriving in the box to meet a cross, but Ortega reacted sharply to block the midfielder’s effort from close range.

The closing stages saw Liverpool increase pressure as Forest tired and dropped deeper. Ekitike’s saved header, the disallowed strike, and Mac Allister’s legal winner arrived in a frantic spell. Forest finished without a point despite strong first-half play, while Liverpool left with a vital result in the top-four chase.