According to The Mirror, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola criticized the fourth official after Liverpool drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest, with goalkeeper Alisson kicking the substitute board so hard it broke.

In Saturday's early kickoff at Anfield, Víctor Muñoz equalized in the closing stages to secure Liverpool a point. The match was chaotic, and Iraola acknowledged his team played poorly in the first half, but he was also extremely frustrated with the referee's management, believing the official's handling may have inadvertently favored Forest.

Before Forest scored their second, Iraola attempted to make three substitutions. However, fourth official Tim Robinson failed to display the substitution numbers promptly, allowing Forest to quickly take a throw-in while Liverpool were caught off guard. Alisson fouled Neco Williams in the penalty area, and Gibbs-White converted the spot kick to make it 2-1. Video footage showed Iraola shouting at Robinson as he struggled to get the numbers on the board. The Spanish manager remained furious in his post-match interview.

Iraola told TNT Sports: "I will analyze the penalty, yes, but a professional fourth official cannot take three minutes to prepare a substitution."

He continued: "We signaled the substitution two or three minutes earlier. I'm angry because we couldn't make the change during the last stoppage. Before the throw-in, I said 'make the change now,' but I don't know how to explain why it took so long to prepare two substitute boards."

Alisson was furious about the penalty decision and received a yellow card for protesting to referee Sam Barrott. After the final whistle, the veteran goalkeeper remained angry and was captured kicking the substitute board, breaking it.

This draw is Liverpool's second consecutive draw to start the 2024/25 season. Last weekend, they also drew 2-2 with Newcastle. Earlier in the match, Liverpool's defense was caught out by a long ball, and Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring for Forest.

Alexander Isak equalized from close range after Luis Díaz's cross, before the penalty put the visitors back ahead. In the 82nd minute, Muñoz struck a powerful shot that bounced off the underside of the crossbar and in, earning Liverpool a point.

Iraola said: "This is not the result we wanted. I think there's a huge difference between the first and second half. We played very poorly in the first half, and even with that poor performance, their goal was somewhat unfortunate for us."

He added: "We were very poor in the first half, much better in the second. The intensity was completely different. If you're going to lose, you should lose like we did in the second half. The intensity was much higher and more threatening in the second half, and I'm happy with the second half performance, but it came too late in the game."

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