Nottingham Forest Fans logo Nottingham Forest Fans

← Back to Forest timeline

NOTTINGHAM FOREST HISTORY
5 April, 1999

Van Hooijdonk rescues Liverpool draw

On this day in Nottingham Forest history in 1999 Pierre van Hooijdonk earns Forest a late draw against Liverpool.

Iconic match memories

Comeback or dramatic turnaround
Pierre van Hooijdonk, former Forest player, pictured 2012.
Pierre van Hooijdonk, former Forest player, pictured 2012. Image: Wim Hollemans, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pierre van Hooijdonk rescued Nottingham Forest with a 90th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 Premier League draw against Liverpool at the City Ground.

Forest were deep in a difficult season, and Liverpool carried far greater strength and expectation. The visitors led twice, but Forest found a response each time. Dougie Freedman brought them level in the second half, before Liverpool went back in front and left the home side facing another defeat.

Pierre van Hooijdonk, former Forest player, pictured 2012.
Pierre van Hooijdonk, former Forest player, pictured 2012. Image: Wim Hollemans, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Van Hooijdonk’s late goal changed the mood. With Forest running out of time, his equaliser in the final minute turned the match back into a point and gave supporters a rare moment of release during a campaign short on comfort.

The match finished 2-2, with Van Hooijdonk’s equaliser providing the decisive Forest memory. Late goals always change the feeling inside a stadium, but in a season of frustration, this one carried extra emotional value.

It did not transform Forest’s wider position, but it gave the City Ground something immediate to hold on to. Against Liverpool, in the final minute, Forest found one more response.

Sources

11v11; Getty Images; Premier League records

Forest timeline

Explore more Nottingham Forest history

Browse the timeline to discover more events from this day and beyond:

APRIL
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
19
20
21
22
Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
23
24
25
26
Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
27
28
29
30
31
Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
9
10
11
12
Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
13
14
15
16
Nottingham Forest 2–0 Stade Brestois 29
17
18
19
20
21
22
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
23
24
25
Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds
26
27
28
29
Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Nottingham Forest 0–1 Coventry
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
19
20
21
22
23
Ipswich 20:00 Nottingham Forest
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Brentford 15:00 Nottingham Forest
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Nottingham Forest 17:30 Manchester City
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Bournemouth 15:00 Nottingham Forest
22
23
24
25
26
27
Nottingham Forest 20:00 Chelsea
28
29
30
1
2
Hull City 20:00 Nottingham Forest
3
4
5
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brighton
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Sunderland 15:00 Nottingham Forest
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Everton
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Manchester United 16:30 Nottingham Forest
28
29
30
Newcastle 19:30 Nottingham Forest
31
1
2
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Fulham
3
4
5
Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Chelsea 15:00 Nottingham Forest
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brentford
7
8
9
10
Fulham 20:00 Nottingham Forest
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Manchester United
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Everton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
28
1
2
3
Nottingham Forest 20:00 Newcastle
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Tottenham 15:00 Nottingham Forest
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Aston Villa
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Leeds 15:00 Nottingham Forest
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Liverpool
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Sunderland
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
Brighton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Crystal Palace
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Arsenal 15:00 Nottingham Forest
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Nottingham Forest 15:00 Ipswich
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Coventry 16:00 Nottingham Forest
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
On this day in …
1978
Victory at Villa in title run

Nottingham Forest earned an important 1-0 win away to Aston Villa as their First Division title challenge moved towards its decisive final weeks. Tony…

Trophies and titles
1999
Van Hooijdonk rescues Liverpool draw

Pierre van Hooijdonk rescued Nottingham Forest with a 90th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 Premier League draw against Liverpool at the City Ground. Forest were…

Iconic match memories
2023
Cooper backing amid survival fight

Steve Cooper received public backing from Evangelos Marinakis at a tense point in Forest’s Premier League survival fight. The statement confirmed that Cooper remained…

Manager legacies