Mac Allister wins war against VAR and gives Liverpool victory in final seconds

The added time in the Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest match had more action than the entire game. What was expected to be a rather poor goalless match turned chaotic – first, Mac Allister scored a goal that was later ruled out for handball, and then a few minutes later, after another VAR review, a goal was allowed to stand, giving Liverpool a 1–0 lead.

When it comes to events before the match itself, despite being seen on the pitch just 15 minutes before kick-off, Florian Wirtz ultimately started on the bench, with Curtis Jones handed a surprise start instead. Whether this was due to an injury concern remains unclear.

Nottingham made a strong start and created a big chance as early as the 3rd minute, when Hudson-Odoi found himself almost one-on-one with Alisson, but the Brazilian goalkeeper came out on top with an important save.

The hosts continued to push, and in the 10th minute Anderson tried his luck from around 20 metres, narrowly missing the target. Nottingham were clearly the better side in the opening 10 minutes, dominating possession and creating the more dangerous opportunities.

The next half-hour passed in a low tempo, with very few clear-cut chances and a lot of physical, cautious play. The first real moment of danger after that came in the 40th minute, when Hutchinson delivered a cross that awkwardly deflected towards Liverpool’s goal, but Alisson reacted well and tipped the ball over the bar. Anderson then came close again just before the break, curling a shot from the left side of the box that went just wide of the far post.

Nottingham were extremely dominant in the first half, finishing with 60% possession and 12 shots compared to Liverpool’s 2. In stoppage time, Nikola Milenkovic tried a powerful effort from around 30 metres, but his shot flew over the crossbar.

Overall, the hosts looked far more likely to score and probably deserved to go into the break with a lead, but the first half ended goalless at 0–0.

The second half was almost identical to the first, with a low tempo, few clear chances and a very physical battle that ultimately produced no breakthrough for either side.

Nottingham came out stronger after the break and created a good opportunity in the 49th minute, when Hudson-Odoi delivered a dangerous cross into the box and Nikola Milenkovic met it with a header, but his effort went just wide of the post. The hosts remained the more proactive side, but struggled to turn their territorial dominance into real goal-scoring opportunities.

In the 64th minute, Ola Aina nearly scored by accident, as his attempted cross unexpectedly dipped towards goal and almost caught Alisson off guard, but the ball ended up flying just over the crossbar.

Overall, the second half followed the same pattern as the first: tough, cautious football, limited chances and no decisive moments in front of goal, meaning neither team managed to find the net.

Nottingham came closest to breaking the deadlock late on, in the 86th minute, when they launched a fierce attack. Gibbs-White’s shot was blocked, and Sangare reacted quickly, firing first time from the edge of the box, but his effort went narrowly wide of the target.

Liverpool finally broke the deadlock in the 89th minute with a bizarre goal. Ekitike had a big chance and forced a save from Ortega, but as Ola Aina tried to clear the rebound, he smashed the ball into the back of Alexis Mac Allister, and it ricocheted into the net, giving the visitors a late 1–0 lead. It was reviewed whether the Argentine handled the ball in the penalty area, and it was determined that the ball hit Mac Allister’s hand, so the goal was disallowed.

Liverpool scored again in the 90+7th minute, with Mac Allister finishing from close range after reacting quickest to a loose ball and smashing it into the empty net. There was a VAR check to see whether Ekitike had influenced the play from an offside position during the cross, but the goal was eventually allowed to stand for a 1–0 lead

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 27

Saturday

Aston Villa - Leeds 1-1 (0-1)

/Abraham 88 - Stach 31/

Brentford - Brighton 0-2 (0-2)

/Gomez 30, Welbeck 45+1/

Chelsea - Burnley 1-1 (1-0)

/Pedro 4 - Flemming 90+3/

West Ham - Bournemouth 0-0

Manchester City - Newcastle 2-1 (2-1)

/O'Reilly 14, 27 - Hall 22/

Sunday

Crystal Palace - Wolverhampton 1-0 (0-0)

/Guessand 90/

Nott. Forest - Liverpool 0-1 (0-0)

/Mac Allister 90+7/

Sunderland - Fulham 1-3 (0-0)

/Le Fee 76 pen - Jimenez 54, 61 pen, Iwobi 85/

19.30: (6.25) Tottenham (4.10) Arsenal (1.60)

Monday

23.00: (3.80) Everton (3.70) Man.Utd. (2.00)

***odds are subject to change***