Alexander Isak Scores But Liverpool Draw 2-2 With Forest: How Does Iraola Unlock His £125m Striker?

Alexander Isak opened his Premier League account for the 2026-27 season on August 29, 2026, tapping in a 60th-minute equaliser at Anfield — yet Liverpool could only draw 2-2 with Nottingham Forest, leaving manager Andoni Iraola still searching for his first win at the club after two consecutive draws to start the campaign. The result intensifies a growing tactical question: how does the Basque manager get the best out of one of the world’s most expensive strikers?

Iraola Remains Winless as Liverpool Drop Points at Anfield

Andoni Iraola’s tenure at Liverpool began in the summer of 2026 with considerable fanfare, but the Spaniard is still without a win after two matches of the new Premier League season. Following a 2-2 draw at Newcastle in the opening weekend, Liverpool were held again at home by Oliver Glasner’s Nottingham Forest on August 29, 2026 — a result that underscores both the promise of Iraola’s attacking personnel and the fragility of a side yet to find its defensive shape under a new manager.

Nottingham Forest arrived at Anfield in confident mood, having themselves assembled an ambitious squad over the summer — including the club-record £50m signing of Liam Delap from Chelsea — and they justified that confidence with a disciplined, direct performance that troubled Liverpool for long stretches. A stunning stop from Alisson before the break, pushing Igor Jesus’ effort onto the bar, proved pivotal in keeping the match alive for the hosts.

How the Goals Fell: A Tale of Two Halves

The match unfolded in dramatic fashion. Forest opened the scoring in the 24th minute when a long ball from goalkeeper Matz Sels split Liverpool’s defensive line, allowing Morgan Gibbs-White to feed Dan Ndoye, who finished crisply across Alisson. Liverpool’s defending for the goal, according to Sky Sports’ match report, was described as poor, with the direct approach of Forest catching Iraola’s side repeatedly off-guard in the first half.

Liverpool thought they had equalised when Florian Wirtz intercepted a pass and converted from Jeremie Frimpong‘s assist in the 33rd minute, only for VAR to rule the goal out after determining Frimpong had been offside. It was a blow that summed up a frustrating opening period for Iraola’s men.

The second half began with greater Liverpool urgency and Alexander Isak provided the equaliser in the 60th minute — a tap-in at the back post from Cody Gakpo‘s low cross through the six-yard box. It was a striker’s finish, instinctive and clean, but BBC Sport’s Aadam Patel noted in his August 29 analysis that Isak had been “otherwise anonymous” before and after that moment, raising pointed questions about the Swede’s integration into Iraola’s system.

Forest responded almost immediately. Liverpool’s frustration boiled over when, shortly before the 70th minute, Alisson was adjudged to have fouled Neco Williams inside the box — a penalty that Morgan Gibbs-White coolly converted. The decision was described as “debatable” by Sky Sports. Iraola was furious not only with the call itself but with a delay caused by the fourth official’s electronic substitution board, which reportedly prevented the Liverpool manager from completing a planned triple substitution before the penalty was awarded.

“I hope this serves as a lesson for the future,” Iraola said pointedly of the substitution board incident in his post-match press conference, according to BBC Sport and 101 Great Goals. Liverpool were given hope when Victor Munoz — who had moved to the right flank just minutes earlier after Gakpo was withdrawn — thumped in a deflected leveller to rescue a point. Yet the final whistle brought mixed emotions: a comeback completed, but still no win.

Iraola’s Honest Assessment: ‘We Were Quite Passive’

Iraola did not shy away from a frank assessment of his side’s performance. Speaking after the final whistle, as reported by BBC Sport and the 101 Great Goals news service, the Liverpool manager was candid about Liverpool’s failings across the 90 minutes.

“We were quite passive without the ball,” Iraola stated. “The general feeling is that we were passive defensively. We were poor in the first half. In the second half when we were more aggressive and played with more intensity we attacked better.” The manager acknowledged that his team’s pattern across the two draws — both times coming from behind — must change if Liverpool are to challenge for the title this season.

Iraola urged Liverpool to treat the result as a teachable moment: “I hope this serves as a lesson for the future.” There was no mention of specific structural changes to how he plans to use Isak, though his post-match comments about Victor Munoz — “Defensively and offensively he did a very good job and was always a threat” — were notable given that Munoz’s role in the team appears more embedded than Isak’s at this early stage.

Glasner, meanwhile, offered a philosophical take on a result his Forest side felt should have yielded three points. “I think we all have the same feeling, proud of the performance, proud of how many chances we created and proud of the reaction after we conceded the equaliser,” the Austrian manager said, as quoted by BBC Sport. “On the other side, we’re all a little bit disappointed we couldn’t get the win.”

The Alexander Isak Question: A £125m Striker Still Finding His Feet

At the heart of Liverpool’s early-season identity crisis is the question of how to maximise Alexander Isak. The Swedish forward arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2025 for a reported fee of £125 million — a British transfer record at the time — with enormous expectations. Those expectations are yet to be consistently met, and the 2-2 draw against Forest encapsulated both what Isak can offer and the limitations his current role places on him.

Born on September 3, 1999, in Solna, Sweden, Isak is a modern centre-forward of rare quality. Tall, quick, and technically assured, he developed through the AIK academy before catching the eye of Borussia Dortmund, where he spent two seasons without breaking into the first team. Loan spells at Willem II and then a permanent move to Real Sociedad in 2019 were transformative: across four seasons in La Liga, Isak demonstrated that he could lead the line for an ambitious club, contributing substantially in the top-flight.

It was his performances at Real Sociedad that convinced Newcastle United to make him their club-record signing in August 2022. At St. James’ Park, Isak flourished in a way few could have predicted given his injury-interrupted debut season. Under Eddie Howe, he became one of the Premier League’s most dangerous forwards, combining pace in behind, intelligent movement, and a composed finishing touch that belied his age. Over three seasons at Newcastle, he scored prolifically, earning the sort of reputation that warranted Liverpool’s £125m investment.

Over his entire senior career to date, Isak has recorded 334 appearances and 143 goals across all competitions, according to data compiled in his Wikipedia profile — numbers that represent a consistent, elite striker’s output across multiple leagues and competitions. However, his 2025-26 debut season at Liverpool was difficult by his own standards: 22 appearances and 4 goals across all competitions, including just 3 goals in 14 Premier League matches, prompted questions about his fit in then-manager Jürgen Klopp‘s final system — and now, in the early weeks of Iraola’s tenure, those questions are being posed anew.

The Tactical Puzzle: What Does Isak Need to Thrive?

The analysis published on August 29 by BBC Sport’s Aadam Patel poses the central question directly: what does Andoni Iraola need to do to unlock Isak? The piece, titled “Alexander Isak: Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola must get best out of striker,” frames the challenge as one of service and system rather than any personal rift or trust breakdown — a nuance that matters when examining the striker’s situation.

Isak’s best football at Newcastle came in a system built around pace, direct running in behind, and quick transitions — a style that complemented his physical profile and allowed him to exploit space behind defensive lines. Liverpool under Iraola are still in the process of establishing their identity, but early signs suggest a more possession-oriented, build-up-heavy approach that does not naturally generate the channels behind the opposition’s last line that Isak exploits most efficiently.

The goal against Forest illustrated both sides of this argument. Isak scored because Cody Gakpo’s low cross created exactly the sort of instinctive, close-range opportunity in which the Swede excels. But for much of the match, Isak was peripheral — starved of service, unable to impose himself on proceedings, and visibly frustrated by a role that does not yet play to his strengths. Gakpo himself is reportedly attracting interest from Tottenham and Manchester City, according to Sky Sports, which raises the additional question of whether Liverpool’s attacking structure will be further disrupted before the transfer window closes on September 1.

The imminent arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain — with The Independent reporting that Liverpool agreed a deal in principle for the French international on August 29, valued at approximately £100m plus £20m in add-ons — could prove transformative for Isak’s fortunes. Barcola’s pace and directness from wide areas generates the kind of crossing and penetration that can create the opportunities a striker like Isak needs. Whether Barcola’s arrival will be confirmed before the window shuts remains to be seen.

Isak’s Career Journey: From AIK to Anfield

What makes Isak’s story compelling is how much adversity he has overcome. At Dortmund, he was largely unused — a teenager surrounded by international stars, unable to break into regular first-team action. The decision to loan to Willem II in the Dutch Eredivisie in 2018-19 was a calculated risk that paid off. His performances there convinced Real Sociedad to invest, and from that point his career trajectory was consistently upward.

His time at Newcastle was marked by genuine struggle early on — a hamstring injury in his debut season restricted him to 10 league appearances and just 5 goals — before a remarkable physical and form turnaround made him one of the Premier League’s most feared forwards. The pattern of slow start followed by explosive output is well-established in Isak’s profile, which offers Liverpool supporters grounds for cautious optimism even as the early weeks of the 2026-27 season underwhelm.

The Substitution Board Controversy: Iraola’s Fury at Officials

One of the more unusual subplots of the August 29 match centred on an administrative failure that Iraola clearly felt changed the course of the game. According to BBC Sport’s Sam Drury, who reported on the incident in a separate article published the same day, Iraola was prevented from completing a planned triple substitution because of a delay with the fourth official’s electronic substitution board — and Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White converted his penalty while Liverpool’s personnel changes were still pending.

Iraola’s comments — “I hope this serves as a lesson for the future” — were measured in tone but unmistakable in meaning: the Liverpool manager believes the delay cost his side a tactical adjustment that could have influenced the result. The Premier League has not commented publicly on the incident. Whether the matter escalates into a formal complaint from Liverpool remains to be confirmed.

Premier League Context: Liverpool and Forest Both Searching for First Wins

The result leaves Liverpool with two points from two Premier League games — a position that, at this very early stage of the campaign, carries more significance than the numbers alone suggest. Both of Liverpool’s draws have come from behind, indicating a team that has resilience but lacks defensive solidity and the ability to control matches from a position of strength.

Nottingham Forest, similarly, remain without a win, having drawn at Anfield despite a performance Glasner considered worthy of three points. Forest’s summer has been eventful: beyond the Liam Delap signing, Glasner has also been active in securing the £22m addition of Daniel Munoz from Crystal Palace, confirmed by BBC Sport on August 29, to add defensive and attacking width on the right flank.

The Premier League’s early weeks in 2026-27 have demonstrated the competitiveness of the division. Manchester City, buoyed by a 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace in which Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki were influential, sit at the top of early standings. Liverpool will need to find their rhythm quickly if they are to remain contenders — and much of that rhythm depends on whether Iraola can establish a clear, consistent role for Isak before the season takes hold.

The summer’s transfer activity has reshaped the Premier League landscape significantly. Across the division, clubs have moved decisively: from Nicolas Jackson’s £65m move to Aston Villa to large-scale reshuffles at multiple clubs, the pressure to bed in expensive new signings quickly is a theme across the top flight. Liverpool’s challenge with Isak is, in that sense, a microcosm of a wider story playing out across English football this August.

What Happens Next for Iraola and Isak

The immediate priority for Liverpool is their next Premier League fixture, where a first win under Iraola becomes not merely desirable but necessary for the credibility of his project at Anfield. Iraola has insisted that his team’s second-half improvement against Forest — more aggressive, more direct, more dynamic — is the template for what Liverpool can become when fully committed to his methods.

For Isak specifically, the key variables are:

• Barcola’s arrival: The reported deal for the PSG winger, if completed before September 1, could immediately change the service Isak receives from the left flank.
• Gakpo’s future: If Cody Gakpo departs to Manchester City or Tottenham, Liverpool’s attacking fluency in wide areas could be temporarily disrupted before Barcola is eligible to play.
• System refinement: Iraola must decide whether to build Liverpool’s attack around Isak’s specific strengths — pace, runs in behind, clinical finishing — or ask the Swede to adapt to a different role in a possession-based structure.
• Isak’s own form: The goal against Forest was his first of the league season and adds to his tally of 4 goals across all competitions in 2025-26, but the BBC’s match analysis suggests the concern is not his finishing ability but the volume and quality of chances being created for him.

The BBC Sport analysis published on August 29 — authored by Aadam Patel and using the headline “how does Iraola get best out of Isak?” — reflects a genuine uncertainty that extends beyond tactical theory. There is no suggestion of any personal breakdown between player and manager; this is a football question, not a dressing room drama. Isak remains Liverpool’s central striker, Iraola’s trust in his abilities is not in doubt publicly, and the club is actively working to build the team around him.

But the clock is ticking. By the time the international break arrives in mid-September, Liverpool will need to have answered the early-season questions — about their defensive vulnerability, about Isak’s integration, and about the style that Iraola intends to make his own. The 2-2 draw against Forest on August 29 was not a crisis — but it was a warning.

Sources

• Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest. Premier League. — skysports.com
• BBC Sport — bbc.co.uk
• Liverpool 2-2 Nottm Forest (29 Aug, 2026) Final Score — espn.co.uk
• Liverpool rallies to 2-2 draw with Forest in Premier League … — 2news.com
• Liverpool rallies to 2-2 draw with Forest in Premier League as promoted Hull grabs second win — 2news.com

Photo: Mikael Hervestad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons