“We’d better keep winning matches,” Jurgen Klopp warned from the lofty perch of the Premier League summit ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

Darwin Nunez ensured that Liverpool opened up a four-point cushion above second-place Manchester City with Arsenal one further point back, but only delivered the victory Klopp demanded in the 99th minute.

The vast majority the contest at Forest’s City Ground had been underwhelming.

Liverpool were denied a single shot on target in the first half while the clearest chances fell to the hosts in transition. Some dissenting voices blamed this soft centre on Klopp’s surprising move to keep Joe Gomez, a natural defender, at the base of midfield.

Klopp duly shifted Gomez out of the firing line on the hour mark, introducing Wataru Endo while also bringing on Nunez. The erratic and enigmatic Uruguayan had missed the club’s last three matches with a muscular complaint but quickly injected some energy into Liverpool’s subdued display.

Despite Nunez’s best efforts, a frustrating draw was looming. As Liverpool’s set-piece count swelled in the closing stages, Forest finally fell on to the back foot. Yet, when Matz Sels clawed away Nunez’s header from a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time, opposition fans began dreaming.

If Nottingham Forest had been able to hang on to a hard-fought draw – which would have been a victory had Anthony Elanga not repeatedly fluffed his lines – Liverpool could have slipped all the way down to third by the end of this week’s fixtures. Instead, they are guaranteed to go into next week’s almighty showdown with Manchester City sitting in top spot.

Alexis Mac Allister was running away from Forest’s goal, with all but one of the home side’s players packed in front of Sels, when he pivoted away from Taiwo Awoniyi in the 99th minute. Nunez attacked Mac Allister’s dainty dink into the box with the insatiable appetite he takes into every contest, elbowing Neco Williams out of his eyeline before guiding a header into the bottom corner.

The Liverpool bench erupted – as did social media.

The City and Arsenal fans watching on did not particularly appreciate Nunez’s decisive intervention.

Yet, it was an even crueller blow for Forest fans after watching their side hold Liverpool at arm’s length for so long. Not only was this the club’s first league loss to the Merseyside outfit at the City Ground since 1984, but it also represented the squandering of a precious point in the race against relegation.