'Worst we've played' - Angry Arne Slot makes 'got more than we deserved' admission after Liverpool's smash & grab win at Nottingham Forest

The Reds were stagnant in the opening 45 minutes, failing to record a single shot on target and managing just three touches in the opposition box before the interval. Slot revealed that he did not hold back when addressing his stars in the dressing room, making it clear that their levels had dropped significantly. The lack of energy was particularly glaring given that Forest had been in midweek action in Turkey, yet it was Liverpool who looked like the side struggling for fitness and ideas in a hostile atmosphere.

The match reached a boiling point in the final minutes when Mac Allister thought he had scored in the 89th minute, only for VAR to intervene. Stefan Ortega saved a Hugo Ekitike header, and the ball ricocheted off the Argentine into the net, but the goal was chalked off for a handball. However, fortune finally smiled on Slot’s men deep into stoppage time when Dominik Szoboszlai kept his cool to deliver a cross that allowed Mac Allister to net his first Premier League goal of the campaign at the second time of asking.

"The first half was really poor, the worst we've played until now, I think," Slot said during his post-match press conference. "But the second half was much better, we controlled the game much more. The performance was, especially in the first half, not as good as we've had so many times this season. But we've been on the wrong side of the score after a good performance far too many times and today, I think we got more than we deserved. A draw would have been a fairer result than for us to win it.

"[I told them at half-time] that it was the worst first half that we’ve played. But we defended our box really well, and that was the reason that we were still nil-nil. As much as Forest were the better team and were forcing us to go back, we defended really well in our box, in my opinion. We had to defend lots of set-pieces throughout the whole game, especially in the first half, so if we could bring that mentality to the whole pitch, combined with doing a few things better on the ball and maybe not lose every ball you touch, because that was almost what happened, then you know that these players can do better."

Mac Allister echoed his manager's sentiments regarding the lacklustre performance, admitting that the three points glossed over a difficult afternoon for the champions. Despite providing the decisive moment, the Argentine midfielder was quick to point out that the squad must look critically at why they struggled to find their rhythm against Vitor Pereira's side.

"Mixed feelings to be honest," Mac Allister said on Sky Sports. "I love scoring, I love winning. But I don't think we played very well. It's always nice when you win. We need to analyse what we did well and what went wrong. The intensity wasn't there, but we did what we did to win."

The World Cup winner also provided his perspective on the late drama involving his disallowed effort in the 89th minute. While he acknowledged the ball made contact with his arm, he felt the decision to chalk it off was a difficult one to swallow before he eventually found the net again deep into stoppage time.

"It did [hit my elbow], but I feel like it's a bit harsh," Mac Allister continued. "It's a bit of both, but I understand the rules. I thought I would get another one. I told Hugo that this would be our goal, and I'm glad that it went in."

The win was made more impressive by the late withdrawal of Florian Wirtz, who suffered back pain during the warm-up. Slot remains hopeful that the German star will be available for next weekend’s clash against West Ham.

"We don't think it's very serious, but he felt his back too much during the warm-up to start, he wasn't able to to be 100 percent or even close to 100 percent," Slot added. "After being in this league for six, seven or eight months, he now understands that no matter how rich you are on the ball, that you need to be 100 percent at his level, so we decided not to play him. We hope and expect that he will be able to be with us again next week, but you never know how things work out."