Nottingham Forest could not manage more than a flattering draw at Crystal Palace. However, the Tricky Trees remain in control of their own destiny in the race for the top five.
After their 3-0 win over Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-finals, Crystal Palace were looking to get back to winning ways in the league after four games without a win. Nottingham, on the other hand, had been knocked out of the cup by Man City (0-2) and had also failed to impress in the Premier League in recent weeks.
As a result, the team that had been flying high for months had ultimately slipped out of the top five and now set their sights on staying in touch with the Champions League places with an away win at Selhurst Park. However, there was little sign of that at first, as the game got off to a sluggish start. It took over half an hour for the first shot on goal to be registered by either side.
In the 35th minute, Munoz got his chance when he latched onto a cross from Mitchell and shot on goal, but Forest keeper Sels was well positioned and made a good save. Nine minutes later, Eagles keeper Henderson was called into action for the first time at the other end, but Elanga was unable to beat him with a left-footed shot.
Eagles open the scoring from the penalty spot
The final stages of the first half had raised hopes of a more entertaining second half – and that’s exactly how it turned out. Within a matter of moments, Sarr had a great chance to put the Eagles ahead, followed by Wood for Forest (50′), but the score remained level for the time being.
At least until the 60th minute, that is, when Eze kept his cool after a foul by Sels on Mitchell and confidently converted from the penalty spot. The goalkeeper had clearly caught the Palace left-back’s leg.
Murillo secures a point that could prove valuable
But the visitors responded immediately – four minutes later, to be precise: Murillo deflected a low shot from teammate Williams, leaving Henderson with no chance. It was an important goal for the Tricky Trees, but they were unable to build on it.
Instead, it was the hosts who posed a much greater threat in the final stages of the game, which was marred by numerous interruptions (six yellow cards). However, neither Lacroix (83′) nor Eze, who hit the crossbar (89′), were able to land the lucky punch.
Nottingham are now two points behind Newcastle (4th) and Chelsea (5th), but Nuno Espirito Santo’s team still have their Champions League place in their own hands. With the Magpies and the Blues facing each other in a direct duel on the next matchday (Sunday, 1 p.m.) and Forest meeting Chelsea on the last matchday, Forest would secure a Champions League spot with three wins from their last three games.
