2 Liverpool stars called out by Jamie Carragher after Nottingham Forest win

Jamie Carragher heaped praise on Rio Ngumoha after Liverpool's 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, saying the 17-year-old did more in 15 minutes than Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo

Jamie Carragher was fuming with his former club's performance(Image: Getty Images)

Jamie Carragher has described Liverpool's victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday as "one of the biggest robberies" he has witnessed in the Premier League this season, while offering praise for talented youngster Rio Ngumoha.

The Reds secured a narrow 1-0 triumph against Forest at the City Ground thanks to a late goal from Alexis Mac Allister. However, Carragher remained unconvinced by his former side's performance on the day, characterizing it as a largely poor showing against a struggling Premier League outfit.

Speaking on Sky Sports at full-time, the 48-year-old remarked: "That's one of the biggest robberies I've seen in the Premier League this season."

The pundit was particularly critical of the displays from Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo. Typically a formidable attacking presence, Liverpool managed just 10 attempts throughout the entire encounter, with only four finding the target.

By comparison, Forest registered two shots on target from 18 attempts, posing a considerably greater threat than the Reds across the match. Vitor Pereira's players also claimed 47 percent of possession compared to Liverpool's 53 percent, more than matching their opponents for extended periods.

Carragher went further, claiming that Salah and Gakpo bore some responsibility for the absence of attacking invention, contending that 17-year-old Ngumoha accomplished 'more in the 15 minutes' he featured than his vastly more seasoned colleagues.

Rio Ngumoha impressed against Nottingham Forest(Image: Getty Images)

He continued: "Ngumoha did more in 15 minutes than Salah and Gakpo did before that. He changed the game and needs to be starting games. There's no one better in getting last-minute winners in Premier League - and that is Liverpool."

The top-flight encounter appeared set to conclude as a stalemate until its dying moments, when Mac Allister thought he had secured victory for his team. Ngumoha whipped the ball into the penalty area from the right flank, with Hugo Ekitike heading toward goal from close proximity.

While Stefan Ortega managed to get a hand to his attempt, he could only push the ball a short distance from his goal line rather than divert it to safety. As a result, Ola Aina found himself trying to hack the ball clear from a dangerous area, with Mac Allister obstructing his clearance as the ball ricocheted off him and crossed the line.

The jubilation amongst the travelling supporters proved incredibly short-lived, though, as VAR immediately stepped in. Following a brief examination of the replays, match officials determined that the ball had actually made contact with Mac Allister's arm, chalking off the goal.

Mac Allister did, nevertheless, secure his goal deep into added time, once more demonstrating his knack for being in the right position at the crucial moment to guide the ball into the net. In the 97th minute, Dominik Szoboszlai found Virgil van Dijk at the far post, with Ortega once more matching the header.

However, in a cruel turn of events, the goalkeeper once more fumbled the ball into his own six-yard area, with Mac Allister seizing upon it and hammering it home. While VAR once more examined the sequence of play to establish whether Van Dijk had been in an offside position before his header, officials quickly determined that Aina was keeping the Dutchman onside, permitting the goal to stand.

Speaking following the final whistle, Mac Allister confessed he was thrilled to have scored the winner, but remained unconvinced by his team's overall performance. He said: "Mixed feelings to be honest. Love scoring, love winning. In that sense, it's a really good day. But I don't think we played very well. There are things we need to improve, but it's always nicer when we win."

Casting his mind back to his disallowed goal, he went on: "It did [hit my arm], but it's harsh. Because it hit my back as well. I understand the rules, but it's football, it's very harsh."

Turning his attention to his match-winning strike, he added: "I knew I would get another one. Before the throw-in, I told Hugo it would be our situation. But I had another opportunity, and I am glad it went in."