Jamie Carragher branded Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest “one of the biggest heists” in the Premier League this season, slamming Mohamed Salah’s performance in the process.
Jamie Carragher was furious at his former club’s performance (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista, Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher has praised Rio Ngmoja, describing Liverpool’s win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday as “one of the biggest heists” he has seen in the Premier League this season. The Reds won 1-0 at the City Ground thanks to a late goal from Alexis Mac Allister.
But Carragher was far from satisfied with what he saw from his former club that day. It was a largely uninspiring performance against a struggling Premier League team. The 48-year-old appeared on Sky Sports full-time and said: “That was one of the biggest heists I’ve seen in the Premier League this season.”
Critics also took particular issue with the performances of Mohamed Salah and Kodi Gakpo. Liverpool, who are usually a force to be reckoned with in and around the box, had just 10 shots throughout the game, with just four of them hitting the target.
Incidentally, Forest had a total of 2 of 18 shots on target and were a much bigger threat than the Reds throughout the contest. Additionally, the host team’s possession rate was 47% and Liverpool’s 53%, which was higher than their long-term possession rate.
Carragher also suggested that the lack of spark of creativity was partly to blame for Salah and Gakpo, claiming that the 17-year-old Gmoha accomplished more “in 15 minutes on the pitch” than his much more experienced teammates. He added: “Ngmoha did more in 15 minutes than Salah or Gakpo did before that. He changed the game and he needs to start. There’s no better player in the Premier League to score a last-minute winner and that’s Liverpool.”
read more: Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool ends with VAR drama as controversial winner allowedread more: Liverpool forced into last-minute changes against Nottingham Forest following injury to Florian Wirtz
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The Premier League clash looked destined to end in a goalless draw until the final stages, but manager Mac Allister believed he had given his side the advantage. Ngmoha fed the ball into the center of the box from the right and Ugo Ekitike nodded it towards goal from close range.
Stefan Ortega matched his effort, but was only able to hit the ball a few feet from the goal, unable to turn it over or spread it wide. This resulted in Ola Aina attempting to clear the ball from a dangerous position, and the ball hit him and deflected into the back of the net, but Mac Allister blocked his shot.
However, the celebrations for the away side were incredibly short-lived as VAR quickly intervened. After reviewing the footage, officials determined that the ball had actually hit Mac Allister in the arm, and the goal was disallowed.
In the end, Alexis Mac Allister scored the winning goal for Liverpool (Image: Getty Images)
Premier League Match Center revealed the ruling against X, saying, “As a result of the VAR review, the referee overruled the original goal award to Liverpool.The referee announced, “As a result of the review, the ball hit the goal scorer’s arm, Liverpool’s number 10.Therefore, it was an accidental handball by the scorer, and the final decision was a direct free kick.”
However, Mac Allister proved he was in the right place at the right time to once again slot the ball into the back of the net with a goal late in stoppage time. In the 97th minute, Dominik Szoboszlai converted Virgil van Dijk’s goal at the back post and Ortega headed home again.
However, in a cruel twist of fate, the goalkeeper again spilled the ball into his own six-yard box, and Mac Allister pounced on it and smashed the ball home. VAR re-examined the run of play to determine whether Van Dijk was in an offside position before firing his header, but officials quickly ruled that Aina had played the Dutchman onside and the goal was allowed.
Rio Ngmoha impressed against Nottingham Forest (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Speaking after the final whistle, Mac Allister admitted that although he was happy to score the winning goal, he was still not satisfied with the team’s overall performance. The player said, “To be honest, I have mixed feelings. I love to score and I love to win. In that sense, it was a really good day. But I don’t think I played very well. There are things I need to improve on, but I’m happier than usual when we win.”
Reflecting on the goal that was called off, he continued, “It’s true (he hit my arm), but it’s tough. It hit my back too. I understand the rules, but this is soccer and it’s very tough.”
Speaking about the game-winning strike, he said: “I knew we would get another one. I told Hugo before the throw-in that it would be our situation. But we had another chance and I’m glad we took it.”
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