Liverpool drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday 29 August, and Andoni Iraola left his first Premier League home game with the same scoreline he took from St James' Park a week earlier. Dan Ndoye gave Forest a 24th-minute lead. Alexander Isak equalised on 60. Morgan Gibbs-White restored the visitors' advantage from the penalty spot on 70 after Alisson fouled Neco Williams. Victor Munoz thumped in an 82nd-minute equaliser off the bar. Liverpool still do not have a league win under Iraola.
The afternoon had two distinct halves and one controversy in between. Forest were sharper before the break, direct and dangerous on the counter. Liverpool improved after half-time without finding a winner. Iraola told TNT Sports the first half was "definitely not good enough." Oliver Glasner said he was proud of the performance but disappointed with the point. Both managers can be right in the same sentence.
How the game unfolded
Forest's opener came from a long ball. Goalkeeper Matz Sels launched it over Liverpool's back line. Igor Jesus held it up and fed Gibbs-White, who found Ndoye in the box. The Swiss forward finished low past Alisson into the bottom right, per Sky Sports. Liverpool had chances to respond before the interval, including a James McAtee cross that Ndoye headed wide on 19 minutes and an Alisson save that pushed Jesus' shot onto the bar.
Florian Wirtz thought he had equalised on 33 minutes after intercepting a McAtee pass and converting from Jeremie Frimpong's pass. VAR ruled Frimpong offside before the assist. That decision mattered because Iraola later argued Forest's goal had marginally benefited from the same technology while Liverpool's leveller did not stand.
The second half turned when Cody Gakpo, starting on the right despite transfer links with Tottenham and Manchester City, spun his marker and crossed low for Isak to tap in from close range on 60 minutes. Sky Sports called it Isak's fourth Premier League goal in his tenth start for the club. Momentum briefly sat with the hosts.
Then came the penalty sequence. Iraola was waiting to send on a triple substitution when Forest took a quick throw through Liam Delap. Williams ran through and Alisson brought him down. Gibbs-White converted on 70 minutes as the Anfield crowd whistled. Iraola told TNT the fourth official took "two, three minutes" over the electronic board and that the delay was "not good for football." Mike Dean on Soccer Saturday said once the spot-kick was given, VAR would not overturn it.
Munoz settled the game as a contest if not as a result. Wirtz slipped a pass into the summer signing, who struck a rising shot that deflected off Murillo and in off the underside of the bar on 82 minutes. Sports Mole noted he is the youngest player to score on his first Premier League start for Liverpool since Victor Moses in 2013. Dominik Szoboszlai nearly won it with a free-kick on 85 minutes that sailed past the post.
Who stood up
Gakpo was Liverpool's best player on a day when many teammates struggled. He created Isak's goal from the right and had been the brightest spark in the first half before Munoz replaced Rio Ngumoha and moved across the front line. Sky Sports flagged that Gakpo's form could attract a late-window bid with Bradley Barcola reportedly close to arriving from Barcelona.
For Forest, Gibbs-White delivered again. Sky noted only Bruno Fernandes has been involved in more Premier League goals in 2026 than the Forest captain. Xaver Schlager started in midfield and won his duels against Alexis Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, per Sports Mole's man-of-the-match vote. Glasner's side had 12 shots to Liverpool's 13 despite 30% possession.
The defensive picture was messier for the hosts. Liverpool conceded from a long ball, a quick throw, and looked vulnerable whenever Forest broke at pace. Iraola dropped Ryan Gravenberch after the Newcastle draw but the midfield still lacked control for long stretches. Milos Kerkez and Frimpong at full-back were part of a back line that could not protect a second equaliser.
What it means
Liverpool sit in 10th with two points from two games. That is not the table position a club that spent heavily in the summer expects, even with the window still open. A second 2-2 draw in a row keeps the late rescue narrative alive without answering the structural questions from opening weekend.
Forest have one point from two games but leave Anfield with encouragement. They led at a ground where many visitors fold. Glasner told Sky the first-half performance was "top" and loved that his side kept playing forward after Isak equalised. The penalty and Munoz's strike denied them a first win, not a first identity.
For Liverpool fans, the frustration is familiar and new at once. Familiar because late equalisers have become a habit under Iraola after Slot's exit. New because Isak scored, Munoz announced himself, and the team still could not close out a home fixture against a side that sat deep and struck on the break.
What comes next
Liverpool host Ipswich Town on Friday before opening their Champions League campaign against Porto on 8 September, per Sports Mole. Forest welcome Tottenham next Saturday, a fixture that now carries extra weight after Newcastle's win in north London.
Saturday was entertaining and incomplete. Munoz gave Anfield a moment to remember. Iraola still needs a league win to match it.
Sources
- Sky Sports: Liverpool 2-2 Nottingham Forest match report (29 August 2026).
- Sports Mole: Munoz rescues point for Liverpool (29 August 2026).
- The Guardian: Liverpool 2-2 Nottingham Forest live (29 August 2026).
- Sky Sports: Iraola on substitution delay (29 August 2026).
- BBC Sport: Saturday scores (29 August 2026).