Andoni Iraola said Liverpool produced “two completely different halves” after their meeting with Nottingham Forest ended in a 2-2 draw in the second round of the English championship.
The Liverpool head coach was assessing a result that left his side with two points from their opening two matches. Liverpool are currently 10th in the table following the draw.
One of the key moments came in the 32nd minute, when Florian Wirtz appeared to score for Liverpool. However, the goal was subsequently ruled out after a VAR review found the player to have been in an offside position.
Iraola highlighted the contrast between Liverpool’s performances across the match, using his post-match assessment to underline how differently the team played in the two periods.
The disallowed goal was a significant point in the match. Wirtz’s effort did not stand after VAR intervened, with the review confirming the offside decision. The incident formed part of Iraola’s assessment of an encounter in which Liverpool and Nottingham Forest shared four goals.
Despite the draw, Liverpool remain in the upper half of the standings on the basis of their two points. Their next fixture is scheduled for 4 September, when they will face Ipswich.
The result means Liverpool have not taken a victory from either of their first two league matches. They now have a short period before the meeting with Ipswich, while Iraola’s comments provide his explanation of a match in which he felt the team’s performance changed markedly after the interval.
The 2-2 scoreline ultimately ensured that Liverpool and Nottingham Forest took one point each. For Liverpool, the decision to disallow Wirtz’s goal at 32 minutes was one of the match’s central talking points, after VAR determined that the forward had been offside.
Iraola’s description of “two completely different halves” captured the main conclusion from his evaluation of the game. Liverpool will now look to their next match on 4 September for an opportunity to improve on their early position of 10th in the table.