Anfield debutant Victor Munoz strikes late rocket as Liverpool held to frustrating Nottingham Forest draw

Liverpool were forced to dig deep to avoid a shock home defeat, eventually rescuing a 2-2 draw against Forest. Andoni Iraola's side struggled to find their rhythm in a sluggish first half at Anfield and went behind early on. The visitors took a deserved lead in the 24th minute through Dan Ndoye.

Forest were perfectly set up to sit in a low block and strike on the counter-attack, frequently frustrating the hosts. Liverpool thought they had equalised before the break when Florian Wirtz fired home. However, a VAR review ruled the goal out after Jeremie Frimpong was caught marginally offside in the build-up.

Alexander Isak finally dragged the hosts back into the contest on the hour mark. Cody Gakpo twisted past two defenders and rolled the ball across the box, leaving the Swedish striker with a simple tap-in from close range.

However, Forest restored their advantage just ten minutes later in dramatic fashion. Neco Williams was clumsily wiped out by Alisson inside the penalty area, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot. Gibbs-White stepped up and smashed the resulting spot-kick into the left-hand corner, sending Alisson the wrong way.

With time running out and the home supporters growing increasingly tense, Munoz produced a moment of individual brilliance. Wirtz found a pocket of space in the 82nd minute and slipped a clever pass down the inside-right channel for his team-mate.

Munoz took a single touch to spin through 180 degrees before whistling a ferocious, rising drive across goalkeeper Matz Sels. The ball crashed off the underside of the crossbar and into the top left corner, ensuring Liverpool would not leave empty-handed.

Despite a late push for a winner, enjoying 72 per cent possession in the closing stages, Liverpool could not find a way past a stubborn Forest defence. The visitors held their shape well and looked completely comfortable soaking up the late pressure.

The result leaves Iraola with plenty to ponder as he looks to integrate his new-look squad. Forest, meanwhile, will travel back to the Midlands highly satisfied with a hard-earned point. They came agonisingly close to pulling off a famous Anfield victory and remain a dangerous proposition on the road.