Nottingham Forest secure a narrow victory against Crystal Palace.
Nottingham Forest halted their sequence of seven home games without a win as Chris Wood’s (32) goal in the second half secured a hard-earned 1-0 triumph over Crystal Palace at the City Ground. Palace, having faced a challenging start to the Premier League season (D3, L4), journeyed to the East Midlands eager to achieve a favourable outcome and escape the relegation zone.
The visitors nearly took an early lead when Eberechi Eze narrowly missed with a curling shot from the box’s edge, while at the opposite end, Dean Henderson made a sharp save against Elliot Anderson following some impressive control by the Forest midfielder.
Both teams continued to generate numerous opportunities in an engaging first 30 minutes, with Eddie Nketiah hitting the woodwork from distance and Ryan Yates seeing his looping header agonisingly rebound off the far post.
Unfazed, Forest crafted another promising chance just before the break, but Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross was too forceful for Wood, who couldn’t do more than direct his effort straight at Henderson while stretching.
The initial moments of the second half mirrored the first, with Eze’s powerful volley being stopped by Matz Sels guarding the Forest net.
The England star came even closer around the hour, but again, Sels was unyielding, making a spectacular dive to deflect Eze’s shot onto the crossbar.
These saves were decisive, as the home side took the lead in the 65th minute when Wood’s strike from 20 yards slipped past a slow-reacting Henderson.
Buoyed by this momentum, Forest pressed for another swift goal to put the match out of reach for their opponents.
Yet, as the game edged into its last 10 minutes, Sels once more came to the hosts’ aid with an impressive save to thwart substitute Jeffrey Schlupp.
Despite Palace’s persistent attempts for an equaliser, Forest’s defence held strong under pressure, clinching three crucial points and climbing to eighth in the standings.
Meanwhile, disappointment for the Eagles continues, as they have failed to win any of their first eight league games in a season for the first time since 1992/93, increasing the strain on manager Oliver Glasner.
