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A minute of chaos.

From the brink of a devastating stalemate to the euphoria of Liverpool’s last-ever winning goal in the Premier League era.

If Jurgen Klopp achieves the dream of a farewell and his team is crowned champions in May, the 99th minute events at the City Ground on Saturday will enter the club’s folklore.

Liverpool were exhausted, exhausted and seemingly running out of time and ideas against Nottingham Forest. Fans of Manchester City and Arsenal, title rivals, were happily waiting for the final whistle.

When Joe Gomez won a corner, Dominik Szoboszlai ran to take it. It was the last chance, but after Kostas Tsimikas’ shot was blocked, all hope seemed to have been dashed.

But not all of that. After Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and Taiwo Awonyi tried to dribble outside the penalty area, Liverpool created a turnover thanks to Wataru Endo chasing them and the ball fell to Alexis McAllister, who coolly turned on his left foot before cutting in a brilliant pass. A cross towards Darwin Nunez, who came on as a substitute after missing the previous three matches due to a hamstring injury. Nunez sent a lightning header past Matz Sils, sparking wild celebrations among players, staff and fans. The clock reads 98 minutes and 35 seconds.

Trophies are won on days like these, and the dramatic win ensures Liverpool remain in the lead ahead of next Sunday’s crucial clash with City at Anfield. This is the story of the epic ending.

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players

“No, no, no, the game is not over, so I still have faith,” insisted captain Van Dijk, who was sheltering from the rain, when asked if he had grudgingly accepted in stoppage time that it would not be their day.

“We’ve shown while I’ve been here that we never give up. We’ve found a way. Darwin has been very important this season and it’s great to have him back. It’s a big goal and a deserved win in the end.”

This was the 18th time Liverpool had scored a winner in the 90th minute or later in the top flight during Klopp’s reign, more than any other team during that period.

Nunez’s knee slipped and he was seen manually kicking the advertising board before his teammates attacked him at the end of the field.

Nunez is a popular figure in the dressing room, having scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions this season. That’s an average of sharing a goal every 87 minutes. In the 2022-2023 season, this number reached 124 minutes.

Tsimikas certainly had his hands full after the win. He took it upon himself to remove the red torch thrown by traveling Liverpool fans from the stadium. An angry Forest fan then ran onto the pitch to confront the Greek international before being intercepted by local defender Murilo and stewards.

Szoboszlai clearly made a direct pass to Mac Allister, whose cut pass created the opportunity, lifting him off his feet.

“We always believe, we always get to the end,” said McAllister, who has proven to be an asset since his move from Brighton & Hove Albion. “Since it was the last minute, I had to put in the cross and then Darwin did a very good job.”

Van Dijk added: “Maka is a great player with and without the ball. He made a big difference in the way we played.”

The Liverpool captain also added to the chaos, snatching a camera phone from a member of Liverpool’s media department stationed in front of the away fans and filming the celebrations himself.

Truly incredible angle of Darwin’s win and then the celebrations filmed by the leader 🤣🤳#advertisement | #TeamPixel pic.twitter.com/humiZ1djWl

– Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 2, 2024

Van Dijk also found himself caught up in Forest’s angry protests after the final whistle, which saw manager Stephen Reid sent off. Referee Paul Tierney incorrectly returned the ball to Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher instead of the hosts after stopping play after Ibrahima Konate was injured. The goal came after one minute and 50 seconds.

“But there was a moment earlier in the game when the same thing happened. “Forrest got the ball back when we had the ball when the game was stopped,” Van Dijk pointed out. “When you lose in the last minute, it’s not nice at all. I can understand that. “We came here to get the three points and fortunately we got them.”

The joyful chaos was summed up by the sight of Harvey Elliott wearing the Forest shirt of former Liverpool striker Divock Origi and carrying a delighted young fan.

Above the Reds kid 🔴#Liverpool #NFOLIV pic.twitter.com/0q9uZz939u

– Asim LFC (@asim_lfc) March 2, 2024

the boss

Given the timing of the goal at such a pivotal stage in the title race, Klopp was relatively reserved in his celebrations after Nunez’s goal as he hugged his backroom staff.

There was no triumphant flurry of fist pumps in front of the away end after the final whistle as they were simply applauded for their support. Relief seemed to be the prevailing feeling when he wrapped his arms around the match winner, Nunez. Klopp knew that any mistake after this energy-sapping week could have had dire consequences. Liverpool’s first league win at the City Ground since 1984 was precious.

“If you had told me 12 days ago that we could win all four games, I would have said there is no chance in terms of the team situation,” Klopp said. “Now we need to regroup.” He talked about his team’s lack of “rhythm” and feeling of “intensity” in recent matches.

The Liverpool manager likened this bold result to a 2-1 win away to Aston Villa in November 2019 when Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane scored late goals.

The following weekend, Liverpool beat Manchester City at home and went on to win the title. How he would love for history to repeat itself.

Klopp highlighted the foolishness of the rival’s supporters who continue to chant “You are like Andy Carroll” in the direction of Nunez. He’s used to silencing those taunts: he has 28 goals in 79 appearances, including five winners this season, and has helped equal the club record of 21 goals from substitutes in a single season, set in 2005-06. He gave Liverpool’s attack a focal point they had previously lacked when he came off the bench against Forest.

“People sing that song quite often, it’s the best way to calm them down straight away, but they can sing it if Darwin responds as he did today,” Klopp said.

“At the last second, the guy who looked like an ex-Liverpool player said: ‘Yes, I’ll score a goal and decide the game’. Brilliant. I’m very happy for Darwin. He came in and was a real handful. The quietest man on the pitch was Maka who delivered Great assist.

Fans away

For the 2,900 away fans at the City Ground, the scenes sparked by Nunez’s goal have already been spoken of as one of the greatest celebrations ever.

“There was a group of six of us. “Some ended up two rows in front when Darwin scored,” says Christian Walsh, 37, his voice hoarse but cheerful, after completing the two-hour return journey to Liverpool.

“You see Darwin’s header go down and you lose all control. The thirty seconds that followed were a blur. You found yourself hugging people you didn’t know.

“A 0-0 draw would have been devastating against a team battling relegation, so to win like that feels massive. It’s the pinnacle of the season so far. Nunez’s late win over a ten-man Newcastle in August was unbelievable, but this was more “Deep. There’s a headline on the line. This goal makes you think, ‘It’s on.’ It ensures we’ll still be at the top when we play City. Anfield is going to be brutal.”

There was a ridiculous rendition of a carol song from the away end as they were singing Nunez after the final whistle and “Allez Allez Allez” was ringing long after the stands had emptied.

Strap in, three months is great. pic.twitter.com/k74Kbdkq6G

– The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) March 2, 2024

But for Taj Herstad, who has attended more than 1,000 consecutive Liverpool matches in front of home fans, there was poetic justice in Nunez’s late intervention after some home fans directed “poverty” chants against the away team.

“It’s up there with the best foreign travel in 20 years,” he said. “It was karma with their anti-Scouse songs. We all knew Darwin was going to do something when they were singing the carol and he did. Brilliant.”

A minute of chaos. A moment to treasure. Liverpool stays ahead.

(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)