Liverpool find fortune in unlucky season with latest last-gasp winner against Forest

The decisive moment came seven minutes into added time. Alexis Mac Allister had seen a goal disallowed just moments earlier but bundled the ball in from close range to spark scenes of wild celebration both on the pitch and in the technical area after a second VAR review.

“My emotions are of happiness and relief because we did not play a good game,” said Slot. “We were the lucky ones scoring in extra time. If you score in the last minute, there’s always an element of luck but so many times this season we’ve experienced the opposite. The first-half was poor, probably the worst we have played up to now. Maybe our luck is turning.”

There were other positives for Slot to take, and how he has needed them after this season. This was Liverpool’s first clean sheet in consecutive away games in the league for a year. The response after such an abysmal first-half performance was also there, although Forest did not deserve to lose.

Slot expressed his surprise before and after the game that Forest are in such a lowly position, and the home team will take encouragement from this performance. Though they performed admirably without reward under Vitor Pereira, their fourth head coach of the season, they remain in deep trouble.

Pereira disclosed that Chris Wood, last season’s leading scorer, is likely to return from a knee injury before the end of the season and he is desperately needed soon.

He said: “I am angry with football but we have to come back stronger and face the future with confidence. They have talent, quality and spirit. If they play the way they played in the first half, then we can get a lot of points. Of course I am sure that we have more than enough to survive.

“We need to keep the good things for the next game and prepare everyone to be ready. We need everyone to reach our target.”