Nottingham Forest’s bid for a UEFA Champions League qualification spot in the Premier League suffered another setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night. This result means Forest have now won just one of their last five league fixtures.
With fellow top-five contenders Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Chelsea all securing victories in their recent matches, the pressure was on Forest to secure three points in South London.
Despite the significance of the game, the Tricky Trees started sluggishly. They were fortunate early on when a defensive mix-up between Crystal Palace saw Tyrick Mitchell’s headed back pass almost elude the on-rushing Dean Henderson.
Mitchell was involved in a more positive moment just after the half-hour mark, delivering a deep cross to Daniel Munoz at the far post, but his volley was well saved by Matz Sels. Forest then squandered a golden opportunity before halftime following a swift counter-attack. Chris Wood teed up Anthony Elanga perfectly, but Elanga’s shot lacked conviction and was saved by Henderson.
The game burst into life shortly after the restart. Barely five minutes into the second half, Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr broke free in the box but was denied from close range by Sels. Just 14 seconds later at the other end, Maxence Lacroix made a crucial last-ditch block to prevent Chris Wood from becoming Forest’s first player to score 10 or more Premier League away goals in a single season.
VAR then took center stage just before the hour mark, awarding Crystal Palace a penalty when Sels brought down the lively Mitchell in the area. Eberechi Eze stepped up and confidently dispatched the spot-kick, scoring in his third consecutive game.
However, Forest responded almost immediately. Neco Williams’ strike from outside the box took a fortunate deflection off Murillo’s outstretched leg, diverting the ball into the far corner to level the score.
Clear-cut chances to snatch a winner were scarce in the remaining minutes. Eze did strike the crossbar for Palace in the dying moments, while Forest substitute Eddie Nketiah had a stoppage-time goal ruled out for offside.
The late let-off perhaps made a point seem more palatable for Nottingham Forest, but they now sit two points outside the top five, a disappointing position considering they occupied third place for a significant portion of the season.
For Crystal Palace, the draw effectively consigns them to their ninth bottom-half finish in the last ten Premier League campaigns.
