'It has taken ages!' - Furious Iraola slams fourth official over board blunder before Forest penalty

Liverpool manager Iraola expressed his deep frustration after being prevented from making a triple substitution during the second half of Saturday's 2-2 Premier League draw against Nottingham Forest. With the score locked at 1-1, the Basque tactician intended to introduce Ryan Gravenberch, Kostas Tsimikas, and Rio Ngumoha to refresh his side.

However, despite the ball going out of play on three separate occasions, the trio was forced to wait on the touchline as fourth official Tim Robinson struggled with an electronic board failure. To add to Liverpool's growing frustration, play was allowed to resume quickly on the third stoppage, leading directly to the throw-in from which Forest won the penalty to retake the lead.

The sequence of events leading to the penalty only served to heighten the tension on the Liverpool bench. As Williams darted behind the backline, Alisson's sliding challenge caught the wing-back just as he lifted his shot wide of the target. Referee Samuel Barrott pointed to the spot, a decision that Iraola questioned alongside his complaints regarding the administrative delay.

Discussing the incident with BBC Match of the Day, Iraola explained his perspective on the foul and the surrounding circumstances. 'With the penalty, the situation has already finished when the contact appears. And it's not an aggressive contact,' he stated. 'But more than this we complained about the subs. We had to wait about three minutes. He was having an issue with the board, I don't know if it was not working, but we definitely wanted to do the subs the last two or three stoppages before the goal. It wasn't just that reason but everything helps.'

Liverpool continued their stilted start to the new campaign, having also played out a 2-2 draw away at Newcastle on the opening weekend. The result leaves Iraola searching for momentum, as he endures a frustrating beginning to his tenure following his summer appointment as Arne Slot's successor.

The Spanish tactician further vented his anger after the final whistle, calling out the officiating team for their costly delay when speaking to TNT Sports: 'A professional fourth official cannot take three minutes. We'd already given him the subs two or three minutes before. I was already angry because in the previous stoppage we couldn't make the subs and then before throw-in I thought we could do it. I don't know, they will have to explain it. But it has taken ages.'

The incident drew sharp criticism from former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who was working as a pundit for the match. While Gerrard felt the penalty itself was a fair call, he was stunned by the lack of efficiency from the officiating team on the sidelines.

Gerrard told TNT Sports: 'You can understand the frustration - in this day and age, with all the technology, it can't be taking three minutes to make a triple substitution. But I think it's a small problem in the overall problem because it's a goal that can be avoided.'