How Alexis Mac Allister’s positional change has made him one of Liverpool’s most important players

It felt like a season-defining moment for Liverpool at the City Ground.

As the sand rapidly slipped through the hourglass, the Reds were set to be the first side to blink in a tantalising Premier League title race. Arsenal and Manchester City looked on with great interest, the game still goalless between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon with seconds remaining.

But it was Liverpool that would enjoy the last laugh in the Midlands, with a substitute once again proving Jurgen Klopp’s saviour. Darwin Nunez’s deft header found the far corner in the 99th minute, providing the Reds with a vital three points as they maintained their lead at the summit of the Premier League table.

While the chaotic Uruguayan will steal the headlines – alongside the controversy surrounding Liverpool’s dramatic winner – it was Alexis Mac Allister’s inviting cross that helped the Reds secure all three points.

The Argentine kept the ball alive in the final third in the ninth minute of stoppage time, floating an accurate ball towards Nunez on the penalty spot that the 24-year-old nodded home with precision. It capped what was another commanding and match-defining display from the World Cup-winning midfielder, whose potential has been unlocked by a positional tweak in recent weeks.

Mac Allister didn’t make the sharpest start to his Liverpool career following a £35m summer move from Brighton, with the 25-year-old forced to play a slightly unorthodox role during his first months on Merseyside.

The summer recruit was fielded as a holding midfielder by Klopp, playing the number six role with varying degrees of success on a weekly basis. While he had played in a deeper central role at the Amex Stadium, he had often done so alongside the tough-tackling Moises Caicedo, who enabled Mac Allister to operate in more offensive spaces.

However, the incredible performances of Wataru Endo since late 2023 have allowed Klopp to move Mac Allister into a more advanced role. He’s still expected to do his share of defensive work – an underrated aspect of his game – but he can be far more influential in the opposition half.

While it was Joe Gomez at the base of midfield against Forest instead of Endo, Mac Allister still exhibited his measured best against the Midlands side. “The goal was set up by a guy who was the calmest on the whole pitch,” said Klopp after the match, a perfect assessment of why the Argentina…