Alexis Mac Allister scored in the seventh minute of injury time to give Liverpool a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest's City Ground in the Premier League. Despite a dominant performance from the hosts, Liverpool moved level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for the top four. The result came after a VAR-disallowed goal and highlighted Liverpool's resilience despite a poor showing.
Liverpool secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on February 22, 2026, thanks to Alexis Mac Allister's goal in the seventh minute of added time. The match was marked by Forest's strong dominance, particularly in the first half, where they created several chances but failed to score. Callum Hudson-Odoi was denied by Alisson Becker early on, and efforts from Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, and others kept Liverpool under pressure.
Liverpool's performance was underwhelming, with manager Arne Slot describing the first half as the worst under his tenure. The team lost possession frequently and struggled to create opportunities. An injury to Florian Wirtz during the warm-up forced Curtis Jones into the lineup, leading to tactical adjustments, including moving Jones to right-back. Mohamed Salah had a quiet game, substituted later by Rio Ngumoha, who provided energy from the bench.
Drama unfolded late when Mac Allister's first goal was disallowed by VAR after the ball struck his elbow following a save by Stefan Ortega on Hugo Ekitike's header. Minutes later, Mac Allister reacted to a blocked header from Virgil van Dijk to fire home the winner, which survived another VAR check for offside.
Mac Allister expressed mixed feelings post-match, telling Sky Sports: “I love scoring, I love winning. But I don’t think we played very well.” Slot added: “We lost every ball. We could not keep the ball for one second.” Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira, in his first Premier League game in charge, was frustrated: “That is football. Not fair a lot of times. We played the first half in a fantastic way.”
The win boosts Liverpool's Champions League qualification hopes, while Forest remain in relegation trouble despite their spirited display.
