Flattering draw: Forest still has everything in its own hands in the CL race
Nottingham Forest managed only a flattering draw at Crystal Palace, but the Tricky Trees still have everything in their own hands in the race for the top five.
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest drew. IMAGO/Sportimage
Following their 3-0 victory over Aston Villa in the FA Cup semifinal, Crystal Palace were looking to secure their first win in the league after four games without a win. Nottingham, on the other hand, had lost the cup to Manchester City ( 0-2 ) and had also failed to impress in the Premier League in recent weeks.
Thus, the team that had been high-flying for months had finally slipped out of the top five – and now had set its sights on staying in touch with the Champions League places with an away win at Selhurst Park. However, this wasn't particularly noticeable at first, as the match started rather sluggishly. The first shot on goal from either side took over half an hour.
In the 35th minute, Munoz's moment finally came when he took a direct shot after a cross from Mitchell. Forest keeper Sels, however, was in the right place and made a careful save. Nine minutes later, Eagles goalkeeper Henderson was called into action at the other end. Elanga was unable to beat him with a left-footed shot.
Eagles open from the penalty spotThe final stages of the first half had raised hopes of a more entertaining second half – and that's exactly how it turned out. Within moments, Sarr for the Eagles and Wood for Forest both had great chances to take the lead (50'), but the tie remained for the time being.
At least until the 60th minute: Then, after Sels fouled Mitchell, Eze kept his nerve and confidently converted from the penalty spot. The goalkeeper had previously clearly hit the Palace left-back on the leg.
Murillo secures a point that can be valuableBut the visitors' response came immediately—four minutes later, to be exact: Murillo deflected a low shot from teammate Williams, leaving Henderson no chance to defend. A crucial goal for the Tricky Trees, however, they were only able to build on it to a limited extent.
Rather, it was the hosts who posed a significantly greater attacking threat in the final phase, which was marked by numerous interruptions (six yellow cards). However, neither Lacroix (83') nor Eze, who curled a shot onto the crossbar (89'), could land the lucky punch.
Nottingham is now two points behind Newcastle (4th) and Chelsea (5th), but Nuno Espirito Santo's team still has a place in the Champions League. With the Magpies and the Blues set to steal points in their next matchday clash (Sunday, 1 p.m.) and Forest facing Chelsea on the final day of the season, Forest would secure a Champions League berth with three wins from their last three matches.
