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Munoz's late strike earns Liverpool draw with Forest in Iraola's Anfield debut

Andoni Iraola escaped defeat on his Anfield debut as Liverpool manager thanks to Victor Munoz's strike to salvage a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest.

Reuters SPORTS
Published August 29,2026 06:15 PM
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Liverpool's Victor Munoz struck a late equaliser to ⁠salvage a 2-2 draw against Nottingham ⁠Forest on Saturday, but Andoni Iraola's side were left still searching for their first Premier League win of the season after his first home league game in charge.

Forest had looked set to leave Anfield with ⁠all three points, in what would have been a first league victory in charge for Oliver Glasner, when Morgan Gibbs-White converted a 70th-minute penalty, awarded after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson fouled Neco Williams in the area, for a 2-1 lead.

But newcomer Munoz, in his first start for Liverpool, equalised in the 82nd minute, when he spun and blasted a shot from the edge of the box that went in off the crossbar.

FOREST LED AT HALF-TIME

Forest had opened the scoring through Dan Ndoye in the 24th minute, the Swiss forward finishing off a rapid counterattack that began with goalkeeper, ⁠Matz ⁠Sels, launching a long ball upfield before Gibbs-White slipped him through to slot coolly into the bottom corner.

Liverpool had a first-half effort from Florian Wirtz chalked off after a VAR review determined Jeremie Frimpong was offside in the build-up, before finally levelling in the 60th minute when Alexander Isak scored.

Cody Gakpo twisted away from his marker on the right and whipped a low ball across the face of goal, with Isak tapping into an empty net after two Forest ⁠defenders failed to make contact.

"It's been good, there is always time to get used to a new style," Isak said. "We are really working hard to try to play the game (Iraola) wants us to play, when we start doing that better I have no doubt the results will come as well."

TWO DRAWS SO FAR FOR LIVERPOOL

Liverpool had needed a stoppage-time penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai to rescue a 2-2 draw with Newcastle in their league ⁠opener ‌six days ‌earlier.

Saturday's result left Liverpool with two draws from two league ⁠matches under Iraola, who was appointed this summer ‌after the club followed up its 2025 Premier League title triumph with a disappointing fifth-place finish under Arne Slot last season, despite their £446 ⁠million spending spree a year ago.

Iraola has reinforcements on the ⁠way as the club finalised an agreement to sign French forward Bradley Barcola from ⁠European champions Paris St Germain earlier on Saturday, according to British media reports, with the 23-year-old set to become the latest high-profile addition to Iraola's squad.