February 22, (THEWILL) — Liverpool claimed a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest courtesy of Alexis Mac Allister’s strike deep into stoppage time, a result that lifted the Merseyside club level with fourth-placed Chelsea in the English Premier League standings.
Vitor Pereira’s return to the top flight of English football with his new club proved an agonising experience. Forest controlled much of the first half, with Callum Hudson-Odoi holding off Dominik Szoboszlai before seeing his poked effort smothered by Alisson. Elliot Anderson also sent a low drive wide, leaving the hosts without reward for a period in which they held the upper hand.
Liverpool grew stronger after the interval. Curtis Jones, introduced to the starting line-up following Florian Wirtz’s withdrawal through injury before kick-off, had a close-range attempt well saved by Stefan Ortega. Hugo Ekitike’s header was then turned away by the same goalkeeper in the closing stages.
Nigerian international Ola Aina found himself at the heart of a pivotal VAR moment when his clearance struck Mac Allister’s arm and crossed the line, only for the referee to rule the goal out following a review. The Argentine midfielder kept his composure, however, and converted the rebound from Virgil van Dijk’s saved header in the 97th minute. A subsequent VAR check for offside against Van Dijk did not reverse the decision.
Forest, who had targeted a win to extend their cushion above the relegation zone to five points, were left to count the cost of a late collapse. Liverpool, meanwhile, moved back into the upper reaches of the table with three hard-earned points.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
