Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister struck deep into stoppage time to secure a scarcely deserved 1–0 victory over Nottingham Forest in their Premier League clash on Sunday, boosting the Merseysiders’ hopes of Champions League football next season.
Liverpool, who lost forward Florian Wirtz to injury in the warm-up, were poor throughout and largely toothless in attack. The home side were little better in their first league game under new boss Vitor Pereira, creating few chances in a drab 90 minutes.
Mac Allister finally sparked the contest into life in second-half stoppage time. He first had a goal ruled out following a VAR review for handball, before rifling home a rebound in the 97th minute to snatch the win.
Liverpool move up to sixth in the table on 45 points, level with Chelsea and Manchester United, who occupy fourth and fifth place respectively. Forest remain 17th on 27 points, two above the relegation zone.
Follow all the reaction from Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool in our live blog below:
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool live
- Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest in the Premier League to move level on points with Chelsea
- 90+6' GOAL! Mac Allister secures win late on [NFO 0-1 LIV]
- 90 +1' DISALLOWED GOAL! Bizarre Mac Allister goal chalked off [NFO 0-0 LIV]
- 55' CLOSE! Jones sees effort saved from point-blank range [NFO 0-0 LIV]
- 3' CLOSE! Alisson saves with Hudson-Odoi clean through [NFO 0-0 LIV]
Tottenham v Arsenal
16:25 , Lawrence OstlereThat’s all from Forest v Liverpool today – you can follow the north London derby live with The Independent below:
Tottenham v Arsenal live: Latest score and updates from Premier League
Match summary
16:16 , Lawrence OstlereLiverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister struck deep into stoppage time to secure a scarcely deserved 1–0 victory over Nottingham Forest in their Premier League clash on Sunday, boosting the Merseysiders’ hopes of Champions League football next season.
Liverpool, who lost forward Florian Wirtz to injury in the warm-up, were poor throughout and largely toothless in attack. The home side were little better in their first league game under new boss Vitor Pereira, creating few chances in a drab 90 minutes.
Mac Allister finally sparked the contest into life in second-half stoppage time. He first had a goal ruled out following a VAR review for handball, before rifling home a rebound in the 97th minute to snatch the win.
Liverpool move up to sixth in the table on 45 points, level with Chelsea and Manchester United, who occupy fourth and fifth place respectively. Forest remain 17th on 27 points, two above the relegation zone.
Full-time: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
16:14 , Lawrence OstlereMac Allister, speaking to Sky Sports, has admitted that the ball hit his arm when Liverpool’s first equaliser found the net – he accepts it was rightly ruled out though he adds that he thinks the rules are a little harsh.
FULL-TIME! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
16:06 , Chris Wilson
'A remarkable end to a dull game'
16:01 , Richard JollyThe latest thoughts of Richard Jolly, who’s in place at the City Ground:
“Remarkable end to a dull game. Brilliant result for Liverpool after a mediocre performance. They may feel justice was done with the late winner, though.”
FULL-TIME! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
16:00 , Chris WilsonThe referee blows the final whistle and Liverpool snatch the three points!
It was a frantic end to a fairly uninspiring game but the Reds won’t care, as they take three points to move level with both Chelsea and Manchester United in the battle for top five!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
15:58 , Chris Wilson90 +8 mins
GOAL! It’s given! Liverpool have snatched the win with surely one of the last kicks of the game!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
15:58 , Chris Wilson90 +6 mins
GOAL! Liverpool think they have the winner in the end, but it’ll be checked!
It’s Mac Allister again, the Argentine arriving to tap in after Ortega had clawed away van Dijk’s initial header.
However, replays show we could have a tight call for offside here!
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:56 , Chris Wilson90 +5 mins
Some pressure from Liverpool now as Dominguez concedes another throw.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:54 , Chris Wilson90 +4 mins
An opening for Forest as the ball rolls to Sangare in space, but he decides to hit a speculative half-volley rather than trying to create something. It flies wide.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:53 , Chris Wilson90 +2 mins
Still no mention of how much added time we’ll have as Forest win a corner that comes to nothing.
The hosts have also brought on James McAtee for Gibbs-White as the hunt a winner.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:52 , Chris Wilson90 +1 mins
DISALLOWED GOAL! It’s ruled out!
The ball came off Mac Allister’s arm before flying in, so the goal is chalked off!
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
15:51 , Chris Wilson90 mins
But hang on! It’s going to a VAR review as replays suggest the ball came off Mac Allister’s elbow...
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
15:50 , Chris Wilson89 mins
GOAL! A calamity from Forest and Liverpool take a late lead!
An unbelievable goal is started by Ngumoha, who does brilliantly on the wing before clipping in a cross to Ekitike.
The Frenchman sees his header saved brilliantly by Ortega before Aina attempts to clear, but the clearance ricochets off Mac Allister and into the back of the net!
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:47 , Chris Wilson88 mins
Forest applying the pressure now as we approach the 90th minute, with Gomez clearing for a corner before Ndoye sees a shot blocked in the box.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:46 , Chris Wilson86 mins
CLOSE! Was that the moment for Forest?
The cross comes in from the left and Alisson can’t collect it, with the ball falling at the feet of Gibbs-White.
He hits a a half-volley into the ground but Robertson blocks before Sangare fires wide.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:44 , Chris Wilson85 mins
A bit of pinball in the Forest area after a long throw from Gomez, but Ortega did manage to punch away in the end.
Another throw comes in but Lucca heads this one clear before Forest win a throw courtesy of Bakwa.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:43 , Chris Wilson84 mins
Two more subs for Liverpool as Slot brings on Andy Robertson and Joe Gomez for Jones and Kerkez.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:42 , Chris Wilson82 mins
Not a bad cross from Dominguez but nobody in a Forest shirt is there to challenge in the area.
At the other end, Williams does well to win the first 1-v-1 with Chiesa.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:41 , Chris Wilson80 mins
A brief VAR check for a red card after a dangerous challenge from Bakwa, but it’s cleared.
At the other end, Ndoye is unlucky to lose out and not win a corner as another Forest counter ends with nothing.
'Salah had a negligible impact'
15:39 , Richard JollyThe latest thoughts of Richard Jolly, who’s in place at the City Ground:
“Some taunts for Mohamed Salah from the Forest fans as he went off. That was predictable in parts. Salah had a negligible impact today and has now gone nine Premier League games without a goal for the first time.”
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:38 , Chris Wilson77 mins
That substitution means Salah has now gone nine games without scoring, which is his longest ever drought in the Premier League.
While Chiesa and Ngumoha might not be ‘better’ options on paper, the Reds desperately needed to try something new, so it makes sense.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:37 , Chris Wilson75 mins
Forest think they have a counter on the cards but Bakwa misjudges the pass and it’s out of play.
The hosts make another two changes as Jesus and Anderson come on for Lorenzo Lucca and Nicolás Dominguez.
And Liverpool finally make changes too, with Salah and Gakpo off for Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:33 , Chris Wilson72 mins
Still too pedestrian when Liverpool have the ball, though they’re not helped by Forest’s willingness to sit back when out of possession.
A good time to note that Slot is yet to make a substitution though, which is baffling considering the attacking on show so far from the visitors.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:30 , Chris Wilson70 mins
A great intervention from Murillo means the defender is able to lead a counter for the hosts. He eventually lays it off to Bakwa in space, but the Frenchman fires a low effort well wide from distance.
'Forest do have the deeper squad'
15:29 , Richard Jolly,The latest thoughts of Richard Jolly, who’s in place at the City Ground:
“Forest have brought on Bakwa and Ndoye, two substitutes that underline that they seem to have the stronger bench today. Liverpool's was weakened, of course, by Jones then starting but Forest do have the deeper squad - which in turn shows how much they have spent.”
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:26 , Chris Wilson66 mins
Changes for Forest now as Dan Ndoye and Dilane Bakwa come on for Hudson-Odoi and Hutchinson.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:23 , Chris Wilson64 mins
Another Forest attack ends with a poor final ball, this one as Aina tries to fire in a cross but it ends up on top of the Liverpool net.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:22 , Chris Wilson62 mins
Arguably a ‘smart’ yellow card to take from Ola Aina as he pulls Ekitike down on the counter.
Liverpool fire the ball into the box from deep but it comes to nothing.
'Liverpool have been better after the break'
15:21 , Richard Jolly,The latest reaction from Richard Jolly, who’s in place at the City Ground:
“Liverpool have been better after the break and if that may be because they couldn't get much worse, it also shows that Szoboszlai is giving them some control in midfield. They looked overpowered at the start of the game.”
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:19 , Chris Wilson58 mins
Plenty of space opening up for Forest on the attack but once again they can’t find the pass in the key areas.
Liverpool have improved in this second half but the hosts are still on top overall.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:15 , Chris Wilson55 mins
CLOSE!
Liverpool work a chance as Salah heads back across goal for Jones, who is a few yards out as he sees his low effort saved by Ortega!
Not much either could do there but the ‘keeper closed down the space and made a good save in the end.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:13 , Chris Wilson53 mins
Not a lot going on as both teams look to re-discover their rhythm. Liverpool are enjoying more possession but it’s all very pedestrian at the moment.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:09 , Chris Wilson49 mins
CLOSE! Another chance for Forest as Hudson-Odoi swings in a superb early cross to the front post.
Milenkovic is there but he can only head it narrowly wide under pressure from van Dijk.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:08 , Chris Wilson47 mins
Hudson-Odoi can’t get the right connection on a cross at the back post in the first half-chance of the half.
Liverpool win two corners at the other end but they can’t make anything of either before a Forest counter ends with Gibbs-White winning a corner for the hosts.
Forest 'can compete with the better teams'
15:06 , Chris WilsonThe latest reaction from Richard Jolly, who’s in place at the City Ground today:
“When you see Forest play this way, it is a reminder of how much they have underachieved to be 17th. Their 3-0 win at Anfield is proof they can compete with the better teams.
“Now they are troubling Liverpool again. Omari Hutchinson has been excellent, and he is giving Milos Kerkez a few problems.”
KICK-OFF! Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:05 , Chris WilsonBack underway at the City Ground!
“It can’t get any worse” from Liverpool, says Jamie Carragher. Reds fans will be hoping he’s right!
HALF-TIME! Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
15:03 , Chris Wilson“This team can’t cope when a game is end-to-end. Nottingham Forest have been fantastic,” says Jamie Carragher at half-time.
He calls that first-half performance “a horror show” from Liverpool!
There is a mention that the hosts “haven’t tested the goalkeeper enough,” despite their domination, which is also fair.
It’s unlikely Liverpool produce as poor a second half as the first one was, so Forest could come to regret their lack of incisive attacking play.
But if Liverpool can’t get it to click in midfield and attack, then they could quickly find themselves falling behind here.
HALF-TIME! Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:56 , Chris Wilson
HALF-TIME! Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:50 , Chris WilsonThe referee brings the first half to an end and it’s all-square t the City Ground.
Forest have certainly been on top for the majority of the game, but could they rue the chance to go ahead when on top in this game?
Liverpool have been pretty solid in defence to be fair to them, though they’ve struggled a lot in defence and have produced barely anything in attack.
All to play for in the second half!
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:48 , Chris Wilson45 +3 mins
A couple of important defensive interventions from Forest before Milenkovic fires over from distance.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:46 , Chris Wilson45 +1 mins
Into the first of three minutes of added time at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:46 , Chris Wilson45 mins
Another nice bit of play from Forest as Hutchinson latches onto the through ball before a lovely backheel keeps the move alive.
It’s laid off to Anderson and he looks to find the far corner with a curling effort, but it flies wide.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:43 , Chris Wilson43 mins
Anderson wins another corner as his shot is deflected behind, but a poor delivery ends up on top of the Liverpool net.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:42 , Chris Wilson41 mins
Forest win a corner as Alisson is forced to tip over a mis-hit cross. The set-piece comes to nothing though as a tame header rolls straight to Alisson.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:40 , Chris Wilson38 mins
CLOSE! Superb defending here from van Dijk.
Hutchinson threads through a near-perfect through ball to Jesus, who briefly looks like he’s 1-v-1 with Alisson before van Dijk nips in to take the ball away from him!
On replay, perhaps Jesus should have been quicker to take the touch to take it away from the defender, but it’s great defending nonetheless.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:36 , Chris Wilson36 mins
Another half-decent opening for Liverpool as Szoboszlai slides a pass in to Salah on the right, but the Egyptian’s cross flies past Gakpo at the far post.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:35 , Chris Wilson34 mins
Van Dijk is okay to carry on as play resumes.
The visitors create a brief opening as Gakpo tries to clip a diagonal ball to Salah, but there wasn’t enough on it and Forest clear easily.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:32 , Chris Wilson31 mins
A break in play now as van Dijk is down once again after taking the full force of a venomous Jesus effort to the back of his head.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:30 , Chris Wilson29 mins
Ekitike finds himself too isolated and Forest look to break, though Konate beats Hudson-Odoi to the through ball at the expense of the throw-in.
The hosts look to cause problems with the long throw but it bounces harmlessly wide for a goal kick.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:27 , Chris Wilson26 mins
Plenty of possession for Forest so far and while Liverpool are struggling a little at the moment, it’s still just that one early Hudson-Odoi chance that the hosts have created.
They could live to rue their inability to find a goal while on top if they don’t score soon.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:22 , Chris Wilson23 mins
Forest are enjoying plenty of the ball at the moment, though the latest spell ends with Hutchinson firing a tame effort straight at Alisson.
The hosts win the ball back soon enough though, and Gibbs-White sees an early cross cleared by van Dijk.
'Forest the better side so far'
14:21 , Chris WilsonThe latest reaction from Richard Jolly, who’s in place at the City Ground today:
“Not a great first 15 minutes for Curtis Jones. Perhaps not surprising as he has been asked to play as the No 10, which he has rarely done this season. Liverpool have begun slowly, with Forest the better side so far.”
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:20 , Chris Wilson20 mins
It is indeed a free-kick to Forest just over 20 yards out, in a central position. Anderson and van Dijk are both off the pitch after receiving treatment.
The hosts try a little routine and it’s laid off to Murillo but he fires at the wall.
Forest come again but Hudson-Odoi’s lay-off is intercepted and Liverpool win a free-kick before Gibbs-White is booked for not being 10 yards away and interfering with play.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:18 , Chris Wilson17 mins
A decent spell of possession for Forest, Jesus threading it through to Hutchinson before he fails to find the run of Gibbs-White and the latter then sees his cross cleared.
The passage of play ends with Anderson and van Dijk clashing heads, but it looks like the referee has given a free-kick to the hosts around 20 yards out!
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:16 , Chris Wilson15 mins
Liverpool have grown into the match over the last few minutes and they look more settled now, though there’s plenty of space for both sides.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:14 , Chris Wilson12 mins
Liverpool win a free-kick around 30 yards out. It’s within distance for Szoboszlai but Salah clips it in and the chance ends with Ekitike heading over.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:10 , Chris Wilson9 mins
A couple of cautious trips towards the Forest penalty area for the visitors but both have ended with easy clearances.
The hosts race up the other end and win a free-kick in dangerous position, around 35 yards out.
It’s taken short to Hutchinson but van Dijk does well to head away before Gravenberch manages to shepherd Gibbs-White off the ball in the box.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:07 , Chris Wilson5 mins
The hosts win their first corner but it’s headed away and the visitors clear from the follow-up.
Forest have started well here and they’re putting plenty of pressure on Liverpool early on. The visitors haven’t managed to settle at all in possession.
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:04 , Chris Wilson3 mins
Forest certainly look up for this one and they have a great chance early on!
A long ball is clipped over the top to Hudson-Odoi, who is clean through as he races into the box but can’t lift his effort over Alisson!
Should be 1-0!
'Jones was unlucky to drop out of the team'
14:02 , Richard Jolly,The latest reaction from Richard Jolly, who’s in place at the City Ground today:
“Curtis Jones was unlucky to drop out of the team after his starring role against Brighton last week. Now he is straight back in, with Florian Wirtz a late withdrawal. But, after playing right-back last Saturday, in midfield now.”
KICK-OFF! Nottingham Forest 0-0 Liverpool
14:00 , Chris WilsonWe’re underway at the City Ground!
That change from Liverpool means Curtis Jones comes in in midfield and Dominik Szoboszlai continues at right-back.
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool live
13:58 , Chris WilsonBoth sets of players are out onto the pitch at the City Ground, so we’ll be underway soon.
BREAKING: Florian Wirtz out of Liverpool XI
13:55 , Chris WilsonFlorian Wirtz has withdrawn from the Liverpool starting XI this afternoon, according to Sky Sports.
The German has been replaced by Curtis Jones.
Slot: 'They have a lot of quality'
13:50 , Chris WilsonHere’s what Liverpool manager Arne Slot said to Sky Sports ahead of kick-off:
“I think they have a lot of quality, I’m a little surprised where they are in the league, but that tells you the quality of the league.
On Forest’s last game, he says: “It was a very good game from them, kept a clean sheet, scored three goals. Dominant performance, and now they’re comfortable in playing the ball out from the back. The confidence has grown, and they always had good players.”
On set-pieces, he adds: “Usually set-pieces are key, especially in the Premier League, so it could mean again that it’s key, but let’s see. Sometimes games can be equal, as I said so many times it’s hard to win a game if you concede more set-pieces than you score.”
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool live
13:45 , Chris Wilson
Match stats
13:40 , Chris WilsonForest are unbeaten in their last three league games against Liverpool (W2 D1).
At the same time, Liverpool have won just three of their last 11 Premier League away games (D3 L5). However, they did end Sunderland’s unbeaten home run last time out.
Pereira: 'I want a team that has confidence'
13:35 , Chris WilsonHere’s what Forest boss Vitor Pereira has to say ahead of kick-off:
“We cannot think about the position in the table. In my opinion we need to go there to do our best, be ourselves. I don’t want a team that plays one way and then changes the way they play another day.
“I want a team that has confidence, trusts itself, and believes in the way we are working to play. I want my team playing until the last minute, competing for points.
“In the end, we want to be proud of our work,” he added.
Match stats
13:30 , Chris WilsonFollowing their 3-0 win at Anfield in November, Nottingham Forest are looking to complete their first league double over Liverpool since 1962/63.
Liverpool have won just one of their last 15 away league games against Nottingham Forest (D8 L6), beating them 1-0 in March 2024.
Arne Slot says Liverpool’s set-pieces are ‘back to normal’
13:25 , Jamie BraidwoodLiverpool head coach Arne Slot believes the team's set-piece performance has returned to "normal" following a significant improvement in recent weeks. The balance between goals conceded and scored from set-pieces had been a persistent problem for the club this season, culminating in the dismissal of individual development coach Aaron Briggs in late December due to ongoing under-performance in the role.
“It would be very unfair to (blame) Aaron, who was partly responsible for that because, (because) in the end I’m responsible for everything,” said Slot.
“We’ve been in that period of time (being) so unlucky. We all knew that it couldn’t go on like that because we hardly gave away a chance in set-pieces but every ball went in and we created multiple opportunities to score and the ball didn’t go in.
“So that things go back to normal now, it’s something which we expected. We didn’t change that much, maybe made one or two slight changes.
“What changed is things went back to normal, because in the Champions League I think we were number one in set-pieces.”
Vitor Pereira embraces pressure as Nottingham Forest’s fourth boss of season
13:15 , Jamie BraidwoodNew Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira is not afraid of getting the sack despite taking on the poisoned chalice of the City Ground job.
The 57-year-old Portuguese has become fourth head coach of the season after Sean Dyche followed Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou out of the door last week, as club owner Evangelos Marinakis acted in a bid to avoid Premier League relegation.
Pereira has worked with the combustible Greek businessman before – guiding Olympiacos to a league and club double over a decade ago – so knows how things work.
Vitor Pereira embraces pressure as Nottingham Forest’s fourth boss of season
Ekitike and Gravenberch back for Liverpool as Reds eye top five
12:58 , Richard JollyLiverpool have only won once away at Nottingham Forest in more than four decades but there is an incentive to get three points today. It would take them level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United.
Arne Slot brings back Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch. With Curtis Jones dropping out, along with Federico Chiesa, it presumably means Dominik Szoboszlai will be back at right-back.
Nottingham Forest are unchanged, less than three days after playing in Istanbul. It would indicate that Vitor Pereira has a favoured team, but runs the risk of fatigue. This is Pereira's first home game in charge; in Sean Dyche's last, Forest had 35 shots but did not score.
Nottingham Forest v Liverpool team news and confirmed line-ups
12:47 , Jamie BraidwoodNottingham Forest XI: Ortega; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus, Hutchinson
Subs: Gunn, Morato, Ndoye, Domginuez, Lucca, Yates, Jair Cunha, McAtee, Bakwa
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
Subs: Mamardashvilli, Gomez, Chiesa, Jones, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Morrison, Ngumoha
Our line up to take on Nottingham Forest ✊ #NFOLIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 22, 2026
Taking on Liverpool. 📋 pic.twitter.com/65aW4818Ds
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) February 22, 2026
Nottingham Forest v Liverpool team news and line-ups
12:40 , Jamie BraidwoodWill be confirmed from the City Ground in the next few minutes...
Liverpool handed Alexander Isak boost
12:35 , Jamie BraidwoodAlexander Isak is back in training for Liverpool with Arne Slot believing the £125m forward will be fit to play around the end of March or start of April.
The British record signing has been out since December with a broken leg he suffered while scoring just his third Liverpool goal in the victory at Tottenham but Slot feels Liverpool can still see the best of Isak this season.
Now, after undergoing ankle surgery, he is on the comeback trail, while in a race against time to be available for Sweden’s World Cup play-off against Ukraine on 26 March.
Liverpool handed major Alexander Isak boost after Arne Slot shares update
Vitor Pereira enjoys dream start as Forest ease to first-leg win at Fenerbahce
12:20 , Jamie BraidwoodVitor Pereira enjoyed a dream start to his Nottingham Forest reign as his new side put one foot in the last 16 of the Europa League with a 3-0 romp at Fenerbahce.
Pereira was taking charge of Forest for the first time after he became their fourth manager of a chaotic season and it could not have gone better as they took a decisive lead in the play-off round first leg in Istanbul.
Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White made it a memorable night for Forest as life after Sean Dyche began in freescoring fashion.
Van Dijk backs Szoboszlai to make ‘next step’ towards inheriting Liverpool captaincy
12:00 , Jamie BraidwoodVirgil van Dijk believes midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has all the qualities to one day succeed him as Liverpool captain having led by example this season.
Szoboszlai has been the team's most consistent performer in a so-far underwhelming campaign of ups and downs despite being asked to play a number of different roles, most significantly standing in at right-back.
The 25-year-old, hailed by Mohamed Salah last weekend as "one of the best players in the world right now", reached 10 goals for the season against Brighton and has already surpassed his best return for the club.
Van Dijk backs Szoboszlai to make ‘next step’ and inherit Liverpool captaincy
Why Vitor Pereira’s mission at Nottingham Forest goes beyond avoiding relegation
11:40 , Richard JollyPereira has arrived as Forest’s fourth manager of the season with the primary objective of avoiding the drop – but as shown by Sean Dyche’s sacking, that is not all that is expected of his reign.
Why Pereira’s mission at Forest goes beyond avoiding relegation
How the aura of Klopp has left Slot trapped in a new Liverpool reality
11:20 , Richard JollyArne Slot has fielded questions surrounding his German predecessor, who remains hugely popular at Anfield, while some supporters covet a reunion with Xabi Alonso, despite his failure at Real Madrid.
How the aura of Klopp has left Slot trapped in a new Liverpool reality
Liverpool's early team news
11:05 , Jamie BraidwoodJeremie Frimpong could return for next weekend’s visit of West Ham while Alexander Isak could be back by the end of March, but Joe Gomez is fit to start.
Possible line-up: Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike.
Nottingham Forest early team news
11:02 , Jamie BraidwoodForest have no new injury problems after the win in Turkey this week. Willy Boly, Chris Wood, John Victor, Matz Sels and Nicolo Savona all remain out.
Possible line-up: Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Sangare; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus.
When is Forest v Liverpool?
11:01 , Jamie BraidwoodThe game kicks off at 2pm GMT today, Sunday 22 February, at the City Ground in Nottingham.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League in the UK.
Subscribers can stream the action online via the Sky Go app and Sky Sports website.
Hello and welcome
11:00 , Jamie BraidwoodNottingham Forest host Liverpool today as Vitor Pereira takes charge of Forest for the first time in the Premier League.
Pereira’s first game was an impressive 3-0 win at Fenerbahce after goals by Murillo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus gave Forest the upper hand in the Europa League play-offs.
But the new manager’s real task is to keep Forest away from relegation, and they face a far stiffer challenge against the Premier League champions, who are chasing a place in the top five and next season’s Champions League.
