Liverpool's Midfield Shambles Exposed by Forest Before Mac Allister's 97th-Minute Rescue

Florian Wirtz's pre-match warm-up injury forced Liverpool into damage control before a ball was even kicked, and the consequences became apparent almost immediately. When Curtis Jones replaced the German playmaker, he was dispossessed in the opening minutes, leaving Alisson to rush off his line and thwart Callum Hudson-Odoi in a one-on-one. Elliot Anderson then fired wide moments later after Jones had surrendered possession once more.

By half-time, Jamie Carragher had seen enough. The former Liverpool defender tore into Jones for "really struggling," describing how the Reds were "absolutely monstered physically" by Nottingham Forest—a particularly damning assessment given Vitor Pereira had fielded an unchanged team fresh from their 3-0 Istanbul victory over Fenerbahce just 48 hours earlier. Carragher's verdict was withering: this represented one of the season's "horror shows," ranking "right at the top of the list" for shambolic performances.

The first-half statistics painted a grim picture. Liverpool managed just three touches inside the Forest box while essentially camped in their own half. Jones's ball-aversion proved contagious, infecting Alexis Mac Allister—who seemed to be playing as though nursing the tail-end of a three-day drinking session—and even Ryan Gravenberch. It was a masterclass in how not to function without a functioning midfield.

Playing out from the back became an exercise in futility. Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, and Ibrahima Konate were left punting the ball forward to shells of their former selves. Arne Slot's tactical shuffle, pushing Dominik Szoboszlai into midfield with Jones drifting to right-back, made no discernible difference.

Forest's high press under Pereira was suffocating. They won possession in the final third seven times in that opening 45 minutes—their best return in any half this season. The damning contrast: Elliot Anderson completed 36 passes alone, more than Gravenberch and Mac Allister combined managed (29 passes between them). While Jones could at least claim the excuse of a late call-up, Mac Allister deserved similar scrutiny from Carragher—the sort of withering assessment previously directed at Casemiro in May 2024. At 27, and having already won the World Cup, perhaps the Argentine needed a sabbatical rather than a lecture about leaving football before it left him.

Forest's wastefulness proved their saving grace. Twelve shots to Liverpool's two, yet they've now managed 50 Premier League efforts without finding the net. Alisson barely had Hudson-Odoi's effort to worry about, while a timely Van Dijk toe was required to deny Igor Tudor. For all their tidy, aggressive build-up play, Forest never genuinely threatened to break the deadlock—a classic case of "this might come back to haunt them."

And haunt them it did.

Carragher's earlier comments about Wirtz had oscillated wildly. In October, he'd questioned whether the £100m signing would ever match Sami Hypia's legacy. By February, he was comparing him to a blend of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva. While such hyperbole may be stretching credibility, Wirtz's trajectory from player requiring tactical removal to restore control, to being so crucial his absence left Liverpool bereft of any creative spark, had been remarkable.

The second half proved marginally better—Liverpool managed consecutive passes on occasion—yet the absence of Wirtz's creativity was almost as troubling as their first-half inability to retain possession. Rio Ngumoha's introduction finally injected some life into proceedings, but until then Liverpool had offered precious little.

Two shots on target arrived before the late drama: Jones's close-range effort following Mohamed Salah's nod-down from a Cody Gakpo cross, and Hugo Ekitike's stoppage-time header after Ngumoha's fine work. Both were comfortably saved by January recruit Stefan Ortega.

The second of those efforts proved particularly revealing about Mac Allister's evening. When Ola Aina's clearance cannoned off his elbow and into the net, he celebrated with unbridled enthusiasm, then insisted it had struck his back even after the goal was awarded. The irony was exquisite.

Yet Mac Allister ultimately had the final word, reacting quickest to a bobbling ball in the box in the 97th minute to secure three points that lifted Liverpool level with Chelsea and Manchester United in the Champions League race. A moment of redemption that couldn't mask his 76 per cent pass completion rate or genuinely dreadful overall performance.

For Forest, their general play suggests they're too accomplished to suffer relegation, yet Pereira must be deeply concerned by their repeated failure to convert dominance into goals. As for Liverpool, another performance of this calibre won't cut it. Slot will be desperately hoping Wirtz's injury absence is merely brief.