Match reportLate Alexis Mac Allister goal gives Liverpool victory at Nottingham Forest

The midfielder settled the Premier League encounter at the City Ground with 90+7 minutes on the clock by converting from close range.

He thought he had netted the winner a few moments before, only to have an effort chalked off by VAR for handball in a frantic conclusion.

Team

Liverpool needed to make a late change as Florian Wirtz was forced to drop out of the XI following the warm-up, with Curtis Jones called up from the bench.

Elsewhere, Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch returned to the line-up after starting the win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Emirates FA Cup as substitutes.

Liverpool: Alisson, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez (Robertson, 83), Jones (Gomez, 83), Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Salah (Ngumoha, 77), Gakpo (Chiesa, 77), Ekitike, Gravenberch.

Unused subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Nyoni, Ramsay, Morrison.

First half

Alisson Becker prevented the hosts from taking the lead inside three minutes by coming out to smother a finish from Callum Hudson-Odoi, who latched onto the through ball of Ibrahim Sangare.

Elliot Anderson and Omari Hutchinson threatened with efforts before Liverpool's first sniff of an opportunity arrived with 36 minutes on the clock.

A poor clearance from Murillo was pounced on, but Mohamed Salah's delivery into the area was just out of the reach of Cody Gakpo at the back post.

Another Forest attack forced Virgil van Dijk into a vital interception, the centre-half pinching the ball off Igor Jesus just as he looked to fire at goal from inside the box.

The half ended with Alisson touching over a cross-turned-shot from Hutchinson and Anderson curling off target.

Second half

Chances came for both sides shortly after the interval, the first of which was a Nikola Milenkovic header that fell wide.

Jones was then thwarted by Stefan Ortega from close range after he met Salah's nod back across goal off a switch of play.

From then on, it was an even but scrappy affair and openings were hard to come by.

Andy Robertson's first involvement from the bench was blocking a Morgan Gibbs-White hit that appeared to be on target, with Sangare dragging the rebound wide.

The Reds thought they had snatched the victory before the added time.

Ortega clawed away Hugo Ekitike's header and Ola Aina attempted to clear the danger. Mac Allister blocked the clearance and it deflected in – only for VAR to rule he did so with his arm.

But the Argentinian would be celebrating in front of the away end again.

Van Dijk headed Dominik Szoboszlai's cross into the box towards goal and Ortega could only parry it out.

And first to pounce on the loose ball was Mac Allister, who made no mistake from a few yards out and was then relieved to see this effort survive another VAR check.