Image: from Stake Football X @StakeFootball
By Open Chronicle Sports
Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
Premier League 2026/27 · Matchweek 2 · Anfield
Liverpool came from behind twice but could go no further.
On an afternoon when Nottingham Forest repeatedly exposed the defensive weaknesses of Andoni Iraola’s new Liverpool, Víctor Muñoz emerged as the late rescuer at Anfield, scoring eight minutes from time to secure a 2–2 draw that preserved the hosts’ unbeaten start but extended their wait for a first Premier League victory of the season.
Dan Ndoye gave Forest a deserved first half lead. Alexander Isak responded on the hour. Morgan Gibbs White restored the visitors’ advantage from the penalty spot before Muñoz, making his first league start for Liverpool, drove home the final equaliser.
It was dramatic, entertaining and, from Liverpool’s perspective, deeply revealing.
Two matches into the new campaign, Iraola’s team have produced exactly the same scoreline twice. Liverpool drew 2–2 at Newcastle on the opening weekend and have now repeated the result at home.
Four goals scored. Four conceded. Two points.
The new era at Anfield remains very much a work in progress.
Forest Refuse to Follow the Anfield Script
The afternoon had begun with emotion.
Anfield paid tribute to the late Kevin Keegan before kick off, but once the football began it was Nottingham Forest who quickly imposed themselves on the occasion.
Oliver Glasner’s side had no intention of spending the afternoon defending deep and waiting for Liverpool to dictate the game.
Forest attacked the spaces behind the home defence, particularly through Ndoye, and the warning signs appeared almost immediately.
Ndoye found himself released behind Liverpool’s defensive line twice inside the opening six minutes. On both occasions the opportunity disappeared, but the pattern had already been established.
Forest had identified a weakness.
Liverpool struggled to correct it.
Ola Aina and Ndoye combined to create an opportunity for Igor Jesus, while Ndoye himself headed wide from a James McAtee delivery. Forest were moving the ball quickly and, crucially, finding ways of bypassing Liverpool’s pressure.
The breakthrough arrived after 24 minutes.
And it came from the goalkeeper.
Matz Sels launched the ball long. Igor Jesus controlled it under pressure and found Morgan Gibbs White, whose simple pass released the unmarked Ndoye.
The Swiss international did the rest.
A controlled low finish beyond Alisson.
Liverpool 0–1 Nottingham Forest.
There was nothing accidental about the lead. Forest had been the more dangerous team.
Wirtz Celebrates, Then VAR Intervenes
Liverpool thought they had responded eight minutes later.
Florian Wirtz turned smartly and found the net, giving Anfield the release it had been waiting for.
The celebrations did not last.
VAR identified Jeremie Frimpong in an offside position during the buildup and the goal was disallowed.
It became another frustrating moment in a difficult Liverpool first half.
Wirtz later forced Sels into action with a header, but Forest continued to carry the greater threat.
Indeed, Liverpool required Alisson to prevent the deficit becoming two shortly before half time. Aina escaped down the right and supplied Igor Jesus, whose first time attempt appeared destined for the top corner until the Brazilian goalkeeper produced an excellent save, diverting the ball onto the crossbar.
Liverpool reached the interval only one goal behind.
They could easily have been further adrift.
Isak Finally Finds the Answer
Whatever Iraola said at half time produced a response.
Liverpool emerged with greater urgency and began pushing Forest deeper.
Ten minutes into the second half, the pressure finally produced the equaliser.
Cody Gakpo drove a dangerous low ball through the six yard area and Alexander Isak was waiting.
The striker had endured a relatively quiet afternoon until then, but goalscorers do not necessarily need to dominate matches. They need to arrive at the decisive moment.
Isak did exactly that.
From close range he converted Gakpo’s delivery and Anfield erupted.
Liverpool 1–1 Nottingham Forest.
Sixty minutes played.
The match appeared to have changed direction.
Forest Strike Again
Liverpool had recovered.
Forest simply started again.
Ten minutes after Isak’s equaliser, the visitors were back in front.
Alisson was adjudged to have fouled Neco Williams and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
Morgan Gibbs White accepted the responsibility.
The Forest captain converted.
Liverpool 1–2 Nottingham Forest.
Once again Liverpool were chasing the game.
Once again Forest had exposed the fragility beneath the home side’s attacking talent.
The penalty also transformed the atmosphere inside Anfield.
Liverpool now had twenty minutes to avoid defeat in Iraola’s first Premier League home match as manager.
The response required someone to take responsibility.
That player would be Víctor Muñoz.
Muñoz Announces Himself at Anfield
Muñoz’s afternoon had not been straightforward.
The summer signing had been handed his first Premier League start for Liverpool and spent much of the game trying to establish himself within a team struggling for rhythm.
Then came the 82nd minute.
Having moved to the right side following Liverpool’s substitutions, Muñoz found the opportunity he had been waiting for.
He struck powerfully.
The effort took a deflection on its way through, but there was no stopping it.
Sels was beaten.
Anfield exploded.
Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest.
Muñoz had his first Liverpool goal and Iraola had been rescued from defeat in his first league game at Anfield.
There was still time for Liverpool to search for a winner.
It never arrived.
Forest Deserved Their Point
Liverpool will inevitably focus on the character required to recover twice.
Forest should focus on something different.
They deserved the point.
Glasner’s side were brave enough to attack Liverpool at Anfield and intelligent enough to repeatedly target weaknesses in the home defence. Their movement caused problems throughout the afternoon and the visitors created enough opportunities to justify their two goals.
Forest were, in fact, heading towards a third consecutive Premier League victory at Anfield before Muñoz intervened.
That context makes the performance even more significant.
This was not a fortunate away point secured through ninety minutes of resistance.
Forest went to Anfield believing they could win.
For long periods, they looked capable of doing exactly that.
Liverpool’s Attack Is Not the Problem
There are reasons for optimism at Anfield.
Isak is off the mark.
Muñoz has announced himself with an important goal.
Wirtz had the ball in the net, even if VAR eventually intervened.
Liverpool possess attacking talent and there were periods in the second half when their pressure demonstrated what Iraola’s football could eventually become.
But the central problem is already obvious.
Liverpool are too easy to attack.
Newcastle scored twice against them on the opening weekend.
Forest scored twice at Anfield.
Four goals conceded in two matches is an uncomfortable early statistic for a team with championship ambitions.
The concern goes beyond the numbers.
Forest repeatedly found space behind Liverpool’s defensive line and had opportunities to make the afternoon even more difficult. Alisson’s save from Igor Jesus immediately before half time was particularly important.
Iraola is trying to introduce a new footballing identity.
Before Liverpool can fully express it, they need greater defensive stability.
Two Matches, Two Comebacks, No Victory
There is an unusual contradiction to Liverpool’s start.
The character is evident.
So are the problems.
They have fallen behind twice at Newcastle and twice against Nottingham Forest, yet have escaped both matches without defeat.
That resilience matters.
But a club with Liverpool’s ambitions cannot spend an entire season relying on recovery missions.
After two rounds, the record reads:
Played 2
Won 0
Drawn 2
Lost 0
Goals For 4
Goals Against 4
Points 2
Liverpool remain unbeaten.
They also remain without a victory.
Anfield Sees the Scale of Iraola’s Task
There was symbolism in this being Iraola’s first Premier League match in front of the Anfield crowd.
New manager.
New players.
New ideas.
A new Liverpool beginning to emerge.
But transformation is rarely immediate.
Forest exposed the distance between what Liverpool want to become and what they currently are.
There is attacking quality. There is resilience. There are players capable of changing matches.
There are also spaces, defensive uncertainties and structural problems that Premier League opponents are already identifying.
For Forest, the afternoon provided another reminder that they belong in these contests.
For Liverpool, it provided another point.
And another warning.
Muñoz saved Anfield from defeat.
Iraola must now find a way to ensure Liverpool do not continually need saving.
Match Details
Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
Goals: Alexander Isak 60′, Víctor Muñoz 82′; Dan Ndoye 24′, Morgan Gibbs White 70′ penalty
Half time: Liverpool 0–1 Nottingham Forest
Venue: Anfield
Competition: Premier League 2026/27, Matchweek 2
Date: 29 August 2026