Liverpool Leave It Late as Mac Allister Breaks Forest Hearts
Drama at City Ground Underlines Slot’s Steel
Football rarely bothers with tidy narratives. It prefers chaos, noise, and arguments in stoppage time. Liverpool’s trip to Nottingham Forest had all three. In a match defined by nerves and near-misses, Alexis Mac Allister’s late strike settled a scrappy contest and sent Arne Slot’s side home with three points that felt far heavier than their simplicity.
Liverpool thought they had stolen it twice before confirmation arrived. First came confusion when appeared to produce a goal, only for VAR to rule that the ball struck the Argentine’s arm. Then came the moment that stuck. “GOAL!? 1-0 LIVERPOOL AND IT’S MAC ALLISTER AGAIN!” read the update on FutMob, as Dominik Szoboszlai delivered, Virgil van Dijk headed back, and Mac Allister reacted quickest.
It was ugly, it was tense, and it was Liverpool.
Mac Allister Shows Calm in Chaos
Alexis Mac Allister has always been a footballer who thinks faster than the game around him. He doesn’t sprint through matches so much as solve them. His winner against Nottingham Forest was not artistry, but intelligence.
Szoboszlai’s cross caused panic, Van Dijk’s header forced Ortega into a save, and Mac Allister was there with instinctive certainty. Right place, right time. xG 0.68, xGOT 0.35, numbers that tell a familiar tale: patience rewarded.
For Liverpool, this mattered. With Florian Wirtz ruled out before kick-off and Forest organised under Vítor Pereira, creativity was scarce. Gregg Evans of The Athletic wrote on social media that Liverpool had “struggled all game… so few options to turn to on the bench today.” Slot’s team had possession without incision, rhythm without melody.
Mac Allister provided both.
(Liverpool in green on FutMob)
Forest Resistance Shows Pereira’s Influence
Nottingham Forest were stubborn, aggressive, and proud. Pereira’s side pressed Mac Allister relentlessly in midfield, Sangare snapping at heels, Gibbs-White driving forward, Hudson-Odoi testing Alisson early. At half-time, the game was goalless but not lifeless. Forest’s 0.91 xG to Liverpool’s meagre 0.06 suggested danger.
Alan Smith on Sky Sports remarked, “It’s been a really bright start by the home team… they’re playing with confidence in the early stages.” He was right. Forest believed.
Even in stoppage time they nearly stole it, Sangare firing just wide after Ndoye was tackled. The City Ground roared with each VAR check, each clearance, each hopeful cross. Yet football, cruel old sport, does not care about effort alone.
Liverpool March On in Slot Era
This is what champions do. Liverpool did not play well, but they found a way. Under Arne Slot, the side are learning to win through patience rather than frenzy. The Dutchman warned before kick-off that Forest were stronger than their position suggested, saying on Sky Sports, “They have a lot of quality players and I’m surprised that they’re where they are in the league.”
He was correct, but Liverpool were better where it mattered.
For Daniel’s next Anfield Index piece, there’s a wider theme here. This was not about brilliance, but about control under pressure. Think of the great Liverpool sides: Paisley’s calm, Benítez’s discipline, Klopp’s relentlessness. Slot’s team may yet blend all three.
And Mac Allister, clever and composed, looks central to it.
Liverpool supporters will remember the finish, but also the feeling. Ninety minutes of doubt, then one perfect touch. Football, in its messy glory, offering joy again.
