Nottingham Forest Held to a Draw by Crystal Palace

Nottingham Forest remained in the race for a Champions League place despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Eberechi Eze opened the scoring from the spot after the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened to show Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels taking out Tyrick Mitchell in the penalty area.

“The draw keeps Forest sixth, two points behind Newcastle and Chelsea – in fourth and fifth – with three games remaining,” according to BBC Sport journalist Emily Salley. Forest’s manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be concerned about the injury to Murillo, who limped off with an apparent hamstring injury. The Brazilian has been crucial to Forest’s success this season alongside his Serbian centre-back partner Nikola Milenkovic.

In the match, Palace’s Eze “puffed out his chest and soaked up the admiration of the Palace crowd after slamming his penalty into the left corner.” However, Murillo’s quick-thinking flicked finish dulled the atmosphere at Selhurst Park. Substitute Eddie Nketiah thought he had won the game at the death for Palace when he prodded a wide shot from Eze into the back of the net, but their celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.

Palace manager Oliver Glasner expressed his disappointment, saying, “Palace miss chance to grab three points.” Glasner’s side enjoyed a lively start before being pinned back by the visitors. Eze banished his penalty demons with a ruthless strike that was sure to impress England boss Thomas Tuchel in the stands.

The draw means Forest are still in the hunt for a Champions League spot, but they will need to assess the extent of Murillo’s injury and hope that Newcastle and Chelsea slip up in the remaining games. As Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said, “Everybody is fighting for something.”

With both teams lacking a clinical edge in the first half, the visitors were set back by Sels’ rashness in rushing off his line and clattering into Mitchell for Palace’s penalty. A moment of magic from Murillo, whether intentional or not, got Forest out of trouble, but Palace were the better team after the equaliser and unfortunate not to find a winner as Eze rattled the woodwork in the 88th minute.

The match highlighted the importance of clinical finishing, with both teams missing clear-cut chances. As the season draws to a close, every point counts, and Forest will need to regroup and refocus to ensure a strong finish to the season.