NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND — Deep into stoppage time, Alexis Mac Allister delivered the cruelest of blows, rifling home from close range in the 90'+7' minute to hand Liverpool a 0-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at The City Ground. It was a result that defied the run of play for long stretches, with the hosts generating chance after chance only to be undone by their own wastefulness and a moment of clinical Liverpool ruthlessness when it mattered most.
The match had been heading toward a goalless draw that Forest would have gratefully accepted, but the drama that unfolded in the final minutes encapsulated the fine margins of Premier League survival. Mac Allister's winner came seconds after Stefan Ortega had denied Virgil van Dijk's header — the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper palming away the Dutchman's effort from the left side of the six-yard box, only for the ball to fall to Mac Allister, who tucked it home without hesitation. It was a gut-punch for a Forest side that had fought with everything they had.
The first half was a cagey, competitive affair with both sides probing without truly threatening. Forest's best moment came in the 22nd minute when Omari Hutchinson, cutting in from the right, unleashed a left-footed effort that Alisson Becker gathered comfortably in the centre of the goal, the chance created by a cross from Elliot Anderson. Liverpool, sharing possession almost equally at 52.8% to Forest's 47.2%, struggled to impose themselves on a well-organized home side determined to frustrate.
The second half brought more urgency, and Liverpool came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 54th minute when Curtis Jones, fed by a clever headed pass from Mohamed Salah, fired from very close range — only for Ortega to produce another sharp stop, pushing the effort away. The German goalkeeper was a constant thorn in Liverpool's side, and his three saves across the ninety minutes kept Forest's hopes alive far longer than their attacking output deserved.
Forest were not without their own ambitions. Ibrahim Sangaré tested the visitors with efforts from distance in the 86th and 90'+5' minutes, while Morgan Gibbs-White saw a shot blocked in the 86th minute as the hosts threw everything forward in search of a winner they ultimately could not find. Ola Aina's yellow card in the 61st minute — one of two bookings for Forest on the night — summed up the desperation and physicality of their defensive effort.
The statistics told a story of frustrating inefficiency for the home side. Despite 18 attempts to Liverpool's 10, Nottingham Forest managed just 2 shots on target — a ratio that made their defeat feel inevitable in hindsight. Liverpool, by contrast, were ruthlessly economical, converting one of their 4 shots on target when the pressure was at its most intense. Forest also earned 7 corners to Liverpool's 2, yet could not translate that set-piece volume into a single goal. The visitors committed 9 fouls to Forest's 13, reflecting the home side's physical approach to disrupting Liverpool's rhythm.
The drama was compounded by a VAR intervention in the 89th minute, when Mac Allister had initially appeared to score before the goal was ruled out for handball. The Argentine midfielder had to wait just moments longer before finding redemption — and the three points — with his decisive finish.
Substitutions shaped the closing stages, with Liverpool introducing Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha for Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah in the 77th minute, while Forest responded with Lorenzo Lucca and Nicolás Domínguez. It was Liverpool's bench that ultimately made the difference, with the fresh legs and renewed energy helping manufacture the winning moment.
Forest must regroup quickly with a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on February 28 looming, while Liverpool carry this momentum into their own away fixture against West Ham United on the same date.
