Andoni Iraola was denied victory on his Anfield debut as Liverpool manager after Victor Munoz struck late to secure a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Forest appeared set to claim a third consecutive league victory at Anfield after Dan Ndoye and Morgan Gibbs-White twice put the visitors ahead.
Alexander Isak levelled for Liverpool shortly after half-time, but Munoz’s deflected effort rescued a point for Iraola, who has now overseen two draws in his opening two matches in charge.
“It’s quite clear the first half has been poor; we haven’t controlled the game,” Iraola said. “We improved a lot in the second half, much more intense, much quicker on the ball, but not enough to win the game.”
Iraola had hoped for a memorable first home game at Liverpool’s iconic stadium but instead saw familiar defensive weaknesses resurface.
Liverpool’s record £450 million spending spree on new signings 12 months ago has yet to deliver consistent returns, with full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong substituted, while Isak and Florian Wirtz again struggled to make the expected impact.
Forest, who had failed to score in their opening two matches under Oliver Glasner, created several clear opportunities and exposed Liverpool’s defensive problems.
Jeremy Jacquet produced a crucial last-ditch block to deny Igor Jesus, while Ndoye headed narrowly wide before Forest took the lead in the 24th minute.
A long ball caught Liverpool’s defence off guard as Jesus raced towards goal. Although he was eventually dispossessed, Morgan Gibbs-White recovered possession and set up Ndoye, who fired into the far corner.
Wirtz showed flashes of quality but was unable to impose himself on the match. The German midfielder thought he had levelled the score, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside against Frimpong in the build-up.
Alisson then produced an important save to deny Ndoye a second goal in first-half stoppage time.
Liverpool’s attacking fortunes improved after the break, with Cody Gakpo once again proving influential despite speculation that a potential move for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola could threaten his place at Anfield.
Gakpo delivered an inch-perfect cross for Isak, who tapped home from close range in the 60th minute to restore parity.
However, Liverpool’s momentum was short-lived.
A quickly taken throw-in from new Forest signing Liam Delap caught the home defence unprepared, allowing Neco Williams to break forward. Alisson rushed off his line and brought him down, giving Forest a penalty.
Gibbs-White calmly sent Alisson the wrong way from the spot to put Forest back in front.
Iraola responded by making a series of substitutions in search of an equaliser, and his decision to keep Munoz on the pitch ultimately paid off.
Wirtz produced a superb through ball to release the Spanish forward, who smashed his effort against the crossbar and into the net for his first goal since joining Liverpool from Osasuna.
Forest manager Glasner was left disappointed despite praising his team’s performance.
“I’m very proud of the performance and how we played, scoring two goals, but we all feel frustrated about the result because we have the feeling it could and should have been a win,” he said.
Liverpool will now turn their attention to their next Premier League fixture away at Ipswich on Friday, with Barcola’s expected arrival potentially providing Iraola with another attacking option.
The France winger has reportedly been the subject of a £106 million deal with Paris Saint-Germain, which could rise by a further £17 million.
