Ex-PGMOL ref shares Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool penalty verdict after re-analysing footage

Referee Sam Barrott was right to award Nottingham Forest a penalty in their 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Saturday.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that it was a “careless” challenge from Alisson on Neco Williams, which led to the spot kick.

Andoni Iraola was hoping to seal a comeback victory at Anfield after Alexander Isak netted an equaliser on the hour mark.

However, a quick throw-in from Forest saw the ball land at Williams’ feet before he was taken out by the Reds goalkeeper, resulting in a penalty for the visitors, which Morgan Gibbs-White calmly dispatched.

While Victor Munoz was able to rescue a draw for Liverpool, many of the home fans were unhappy with the penalty kick.

Nevertheless, when reviewing the footage, Hackett believes that the referee came to the right conclusion.

Keith Hackett: Good decision to award Nottingham Forest penalty vs Liverpool

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett explained why he believed that the referee made the right decision to give Nottingham Forest a penalty on Saturday at Anfield.

He said: “Good decision by the referee to award a penalty kick.

“The goalkeeper made a careless challenge, resulting in referee Barrott pointing to the penalty spot.”

As a result, Liverpool and Iraola will have to wait another week to potentially get their first Premier League win of the 2026-27 campaign.

Did Liverpool deserve to win vs Nottingham Forest?

Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, the game on Saturday was not a good watch.

Nottingham Forest were more than a match for the Reds, and this is shown in the stats.

Liverpool had just 13 shots, four of which were on target, a 1.61 xG, 21 touches in Forest’s box and had just two corners.

In comparison, Forest had 12 shots, three of which were on target, a 2.30 xG, 23 touches in Liverpool’s box and five corners.

Therefore, a draw was likely a fair result, although the Tricky Trees could have easily edged it.

As a result, Liverpool will have to be much better on Friday when they travel to Portman Road to take on Ipswich Town, or they risk missing out on a win yet again.