Alexis Mac Allister celebrates scoring for Liverpool. (Image: Getty)
The Premier League Match Centre have issued an explanation on why Alexis Mac Allister had a goal disallowed at Nottingham Forest, moments before the Liverpool midfielder scored a 97th-minute winner. Mac Allister thought he’d won it for the Reds in the 89th minute but Ola Aina’s clearance, which rebounded beyond Stefan Ortega in the Forest goal, was adjudged to have hit his arm. The ball came off Mac Allister’s elbow and that meant, though there was no intent from the South American to handle the ball, because it went directly into the back of the net, it was chalked off.
Mac Allister then fired in from close range seven minutes into stoppage-time after Virgil van Dijk’s header was blocked by Murillo and rebounded for the midfielder to nick victory for the defending champions. The goal was only given after another lengthy VAR check to confirm whether or not Van Dijk had strayed offside before his header.
On the first goal, which was chalked off, the Match Centre wrote on social media: “After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of goal to Liverpool. Referee announcement: ‘After review, the ball hits the arm of the goal scorer, Liverpool No. 10. Therefore, it’s an accidental handball by the goal scorer, so the final decision is a direct free kick.'”
The Match Centre have not issued a second statement on the Mac Allister goal that was allowed. But replays showed captain Van Dijk was kept very narrowly onside by Aina behind him as Dominik Szoboszlai delivered the ball into the box.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted his team were lucky to win at the City Ground. He said: “If you score in the last minute, there’s always an element of luck. But so many times this season, we’ve experienced the opposite.
“I don’t mean conceding in the last minute – that’s happened as well – but it’s about us deserving more than what we got. A draw would have been a fairer result than a win for us.”
Virgil van Dijk was narrowly onside for Alexis Mac Allister’s winner (Image: Premier League)
While goalscorer Mac Allister reflected: “Mixed feelings to be honest. Love scoring, love winning. IN that sense it’s a really good day. But I don’t think we played very well. There are things we need to improve, but it’s always nicer when we win.”
Asked if the disallowed goal hit his elbow, the Argentine replied: “It did, but it’s harsh. Because it hit my back as well. I understand the rules but it’s football, it’s very harsh.”
On the goal that did stand, he added: “I knew I would get another one. Before the throw-in, I told Hugo [Ekitike] it would be our situation. But I had another opportunity and I am glad it went in.”
At 96 minutes and 10 seconds, Liverpool’s goal was their fourth-latest winner in the Premier League on record. Two of those goals have now come away at Forest, following Darwin Nunez’s winner in March 2024 which came on 98.37.
But an annoyed Slot added: “We lost ev-e-ry ball. We could not keep the ball for one second. If we went long, we lost the duel. We lost a lot of second balls. The only part of the game that went well was defending inside the box.
The ball came off Alexis Mac Allister’s elbow before going in for his disallowed goal (Image: Getty)
“I saw players throwing themselves for long balls, had to defend set pieces. That’s what we did well and stayed in the game. The second half I saw something slightly different. We took over the game, maybe because they played on Thursday?
“For the first time this season, that was an advantage for us – that the team we faced played and we were off this week. With the way things are going this season, I would not have been surprised at all if both goals had been disallowed. But maybe fortune has changed – finally.”
Liverpool’s victory puts them on 45 points, level with fourth-placed Chelsea who have a superior goal difference. But club legend Jamie Carragher reacted on Sky Sports: “That’s one of the biggest robberies I’ve seen in the Premier League this season.
“[Rio] Ngumoha did more in 15 minutes than [Mohamed] Salah and [Cody] Gakpo did before that. He changed the game and needs to be starting games. There’s no-one better in getting last-minute winners in Premier League – and that is Liverpool.”