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Two matches. Two 2–2 stalemates for Andoni Iraola's Liverpool.
The Reds are establishing themselves as the Premier League's most entertaining side, but history reminds us that the truly elite teams are rarely just crowd-pleasers.
Iraola's men came from behind twice against a Nottingham Forest outfit that will prove a tough nut to crack under Oliver Glasner, and the visitors thoroughly deserved their share of the spoils.
The result, rescued by a superb Víctor Muñoz strike in the 82nd minute, means Liverpool are still waiting for their first win under Iraola's management, and things could have been considerably worse had Alisson not produced a stunning stop from Igor Jesus just before the half-time whistle.
The Reds, disjointed and out of sync for long stretches of this contest, are still searching for their identity following a difficult 2025–26 campaign. They relied on their fighting spirit to prevent Forest from claiming a third-straight win at Anfield, with Iraola's substitutions also playing a key role in shifting the momentum.
Here are three Liverpool takeaways from Saturday's lunchtime 2–2 draw.
Iraola's Attempted Midfield Fix
Jamie Carragher can lobby all he likes, but Liverpool will not dip into the transfer market for a defensive midfielder in the closing days of the summer window.
The Reds' vulnerability in defensive transition on Tyneside reignited debate over their midfield setup, as Ryan Gravenberch was caught out of position twice in the lead-up to Newcastle United's counterattacking goals last weekend.
Andoni Iraola addressed the media ahead of Saturday's fixture, emphasizing his midfielders' need to judge when to push forward without leaving the defense exposed. "Balance" was the term he returned to repeatedly, and he looked to achieve it by benching the attack-minded Gravenberch in favor of Alexis Mac Allister.
Few Liverpool fans would argue that the Argentine is the answer, given his notable decline last season, and those doubters would have felt vindicated by Saturday's performance.
The Reds weren't undone by a counterattack this time, but rather by a long ball forward from goalkeeper Matz Sels. Mac Allister attempted to track Igor Jesus but was physically overpowered by the Brazilian striker. Dan Ndoye marked his first Premier League goal in over a year shortly after.
"THEY ARE AT IT AGAIN! THEY ARE AT IT AGAIN!"
Dan Ndoye gives Forest the lead at Anfield 🚨
🔴 Liverpool: 0
🔵 Nottingham Forest: 1
⏱️ 23' pic.twitter.com/qraymXHvww
The Argentine showed occasional quality in and around the attacking third and contributed defensively at times; however, he won just five of his 10 ground duels and only one of his four aerial battles.
Liverpool's so-called "football doctor," as Jürgen Klopp once dubbed him, is no longer the combative presence he used to be. Opponents can bully him, and in doing so, steamroll through Liverpool's midfield.
Víctor Muñoz Makes Things Happen
Liverpool currently have a surplus of wide players who prefer operating on the left, so Iraola addressed this imbalance by deploying attacking fullback Jeremie Frimpong as the primary outlet down the right flank.
That solution, however, brought its own complications. Frimpong simply isn't up to the required standard. His feet move faster than his mind can process, and on the rare occasions he finds a moment of calm, his technical quality in the final third lets him down.
Bradley Barcola doesn't truly solve this right-side problem either, given his natural preference for the left. This is a heavily left-leaning Liverpool attack, but Víctor Muñoz has demonstrated across his first two competitive outings that he could be the difference-maker.
He started as the nominal left-winger against Forest but drifted across to the opposite side following Rio Ngumoha's introduction. Muñoz is unpolished, but undeniably lively. There's plenty for Iraola to develop, and his finish was a world apart from anything else he had produced during the match.
The young Spaniard fired a deflected effort past Sels without hesitation, having controlled Florian Wirtz's pass beautifully on the half turn.
The 23-year-old has a hunger to make things happen, and he's exactly the type of player the Anfield crowd will quickly take to their hearts.
Positive Steps for Under-Pressure Stars
It has been a refreshingly open start to the 2026–27 Premier League season, as the division looks to move on from the grinding, set-piece-dominated 2025–26 campaign.
Creative players have thrived. Cole Palmer was arguably the standout performer of Matchday 1, and the second gameweek was lit up by Rayan Cherki's mischievous brilliance in possession.
Liverpool are supposed to possess a player of that caliber in Florian Wirtz, yet the German has so far struggled to perform with the authority expected of a superstar since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in a $157 million transfer a year ago. There were flashes, but nothing consistent in his debut season, and many questioned him following a subdued display at St. James' Park.
When his clever first-half equalizer was disallowed after VAR flagged offside, it appeared Wirtz was destined for continued frustration on Merseyside. But he would ultimately deliver a decisive contribution. Space is everything for Liverpool's No. 7, and he found just enough of it to thread a precise pass into the path of Muñoz. The Spaniard finished superbly, yet the move was most notable for the conviction in Wirtz's delivery. A truly incisive pass.
It was a well-timed moment given the mounting criticism, and Alexander Isak, otherwise largely peripheral, will be eager to build on his first goal of the season.