Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool: Arne Slot admits Reds got lucky... and the evidence is stacking up that Mo Salah's best days are behind him, writes TOM COLLOMOSSE

Mohamed Salah tried to style it out with a smile and an expression of surprise but this time the evidence was plain for all to see.

When he was substituted 12 minutes from full-time against Nottingham Forest , it meant the Egyptian had gone nine successive league games without a goal.

Never has Salah experienced a drought this long in his Liverpool career. Salah exchanged a low five with Reds boss Arne Slot as he walked to the bench but when the key action of this match happened, he was a spectator.

Everything unfolded in the closing minutes. Twice Alexis Mac Allister thought he had won it for Liverpool. The first time, the goal was ruled out when VAR adjudged that Ola Aina’s clearance had rebounded off Mac Allister’s elbow.

The second time, Mac Allister converted from close range when Murillo failed to clear and this time there would be no reprieve for Forest, who are two points above the relegation zone.

Liverpool, meanwhile, clawed back valuable ground on Aston Villa and Chelsea in the race for a place in next season’s Champions League .

Alexis Mac Allister scored a dramatic late winner for Liverpool against Nottingham Forest

Though it would be foolish to write off Salah, the signs of decline are there. At one point in the second half, Neco Williams slipped and Salah had the chance to scamper into space behind him. Last season, that would have produced a goal – or at least a shot on target.

This time, Williams caught Salah and was able to slow him down in time for Murillo to clear. It was in keeping with Salah’s general performance. He remains a fine player but the electricity of his best days was absent.

Salah may yet have a key role to play this season. Who knows, he may even score the winner in the Champions League final. It would not alter the basic fact that this version of Salah is nothing like the player who fired the Reds to the Premier League title last season.

Slot knew his team had got away with one here. ‘It felt to me like this was the first time this season that we’ve been a bit lucky,’ he said.

‘The first half was really poor, the worst we have played so far I think, though we defended out box really well. A draw would have been a fair result.’

In a breathless finale, Mac Allister struck for the first time in the 89th minute when Aina’s clearance rebounded off him and into the net, only for the goal to be ruled out.

Arne Slot commiserates with Mo Salah after bringing the forward off in the 77th minute

And then, with virtually the final attack of the match, Virgil van Dijk headed Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross goalwards and though Murillo tried to clear it, the ball fell to Mac Allister, who rammed it home.

It was hugely tough on Forest, who made the running for most of the match, but still Vitor Pereira’s first league game as boss ended in defeat, though the Portuguese felt Hugo Ekitike – who was in an offside position when Szoboszlai delivered but did not touch the ball – should have been penalised.

‘In my opinion he was in the same zone of the area [as the goal] but I accept the decision,’ Pereira said.

Given Forest’s brilliant first outing under Pereira – a 3-0 win at Fenerbahce in the Europa League last Thursday – it was no surprise to see him name an unchanged side.

It came just after the midfielder thought he had scored, but for it to be ruled out by VAR

Meanwhile, Liverpool were forced into a late change as Florian Wirtz was injured in the warm-up and was replaced by Curtis Jones. Slot is hopeful the German’s back issue is not serious.

The home side should have taken the lead in the third minute when Ibrahim Sangare sent Callum Hudson-Odoi clear, only for Alisson to save after leaving his line quickly. Liverpool did not look themselves and Elliot Anderson fired just wide from 20 yards after a mistake by Jones.

Yet with last season’s top scorer Chris Wood sidelined since the end of October, Forest lacked the man to make their approach work count. Igor Jesus has many impressive qualities and is having a useful first season in English football but a natural goalscorer he is not.

Indeed, Hudson-Odoi’s early effort was the only time Alisson looked genuinely at risk of conceding.

That should have changed in the opening minutes of the second half when, following a Forest corner, Hudson-Odoi sent the ball back into the danger zone and Nikola Milenkovic found space at the near post only to head wide.

Alisson’s opposite number Stefan Ortega had enjoyed a much quieter afternoon yet when he was needed, the former Manchester City man delivered. Salah headed back into the path of Jones three yards out and Ortega showed fine reflexes to block the shot

Ortega thought he had conceded in the closing moments when he made a brilliant save from Hugo Ekitike but could do nothing to stop the rebound off Mac Allister.

Moments later, Mac Allister’s strike really did count and Forest’s fight for survival became even tougher, though Pereira was keen to stay upbeat.

‘They have talent, quality and spirit,’ he insisted. ‘If they played the way they played in the first half, then we can get a lot of points.’