Liverpool couldn’t shake old habits at Anfield on Saturday. Andoni Iraola’s side let a lead slip twice against Nottingham Forest, settling for a 2-2 draw that stretched their winless run in the league to six straight games. That’s the longest such stretch for Liverpool since 2012, and pundits didn’t hold back afterward. The message was blunt: this defense has problems.
Dan Ndoye put Forest ahead early, capitalizing on space Liverpool simply handed over. Alexander Isak leveled things on the hour mark, scoring his first goal for the club in front of a relieved Anfield crowd. Forest hit back almost immediately when Morgan Gibbs-White converted from the spot to restore their lead. It took a moment of quality from Victor Munoz, just eight minutes from time, to rescue a point for the hosts.
Broadcasters Question Iraola’s Setup
NBC pundits Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, and Tim Howard watched the match back and landed on the same read. Liverpool’s defense looked shaky all afternoon, and the numbers backed that up. At halftime, Forest led on expected goals by a wide margin and had created three clear-cut chances to Liverpool’s zero. Forest also covered nearly three kilometers more ground than their hosts as a team, which says plenty about how hard Liverpool’s midfield had to work just to stay level.
That midfield struggle turned into its own talking point. Alexis Mac Allister, once praised by Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool’s tactical anchor, won only half his ground duels and lost three of four in the air. He’s not the disruptive force he was two seasons ago, and Forest ran straight through the middle because of it.
Iraola himself didn’t push back much against the criticism. He’s now overseen back-to-back 2-2 draws to open his Liverpool tenure, first at Newcastle and now at home. The winless run actually goes back further than that, through defeats to Manchester United and Aston Villa and draws with Chelsea and Brentford at the tail end of last season. His attack keeps finding goals, at least. It’s the defense giving them straight back that’s the problem.
Forest deserve credit here too. Oliver Glasner’s side came into Anfield off two straight defeats to Leeds and left having outplayed the league leaders for long stretches. Igor Jesus nearly made it three before halftime, kept out only by a brilliant save from Alisson.
Transfer Business Adds To The Noise
The result lands awkwardly next to Liverpool’s summer spending. Reports suggest a £120 million deal for Bradley Barcola is close, adding yet another attacking option to a squad that already scores freely. Pundits questioned whether that money is going to the right part of the pitch, given how easily Forest cut through Liverpool’s back line.
Injuries aren’t helping either. Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, and Joe Gomez are all sidelined, thinning out options right when defensive solidity matters most. Whether Barcola’s arrival changes the conversation or just adds to it, we’ll have to wait and see.
For now, Liverpool sit on two points from two games, still hunting their first win under Iraola and stuck in a drought that hasn’t run this long in over a decade. Anyone tracking how the title race is shaping up can follow ongoing coverage and predictions at KCPredict. ESPN’s preview coverage had already flagged that winless streak as Liverpool’s worst since 2012 before a ball was even kicked Saturday.