Key events
That’s all from me. Thank you for reading, and for your emails. Good luck to both Palace and Forest for the rest of the season. Until next time, cheers!
Ed Aarons’ match report from Selhurst Park
I’m watching a replay of Eze’s penalty. It’s amazing that at no point in his stuttering run up did he glance at where the football was. Yet it was such a pure strike into the corner. Such a skill, that, especially as you have to be so precise.
This is the xG of the game, evidence of how poor Forest were tonight.
Palace: 2.56
Forest: 0.71
That is what the 1-1 result does to the Premier League table. Newcastle and Chelsea now have a two-point cushion over Forest, who remain in sixth.
The visitors will be pleased to leave London with a point, given that uninspiring display. But that was not the result that Nuno would have wanted going into this match. A draw here means they simply must probably win all three of their remaining three matches. Leicester at home this weekend should be a formality – although one can imagine Jamie Vardy doing something to upset the Foxes’ rivals. West Ham away should be trickier, and then there’s a huge home game against top five rivals Chelsea on the final day. Ooooof.
Murillo’s injury will be a worry. The Brazilian went off with a hamstring injury. I wonder if that is the defender’s season done.
Full-time: Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Disappointment for Forest in their race for the top five.
90+12 min: The air has gone out of the game, which is a real shame for the neutral. Forest will be thankful, though.
90+10 min: Milenkovic is back on, with some cotton wool shoved up his nostrils. I think those stoppages have helped Forest as Palace’s momentum has completely stalled.
“So infuriating when the ref’s comms goes down and we have to do that endless sleeve rolling, tucking something in, roll up, roll down,” emails Hugh Molloy. “I can I understood it halfway through a game, but if it goes with 80 mins plus on the clock, then just crack on. If we desperately need VAR then fix it then, otherwise just ruins the crescendo of a game. Rant over.”
90+8 min: Another delay as Milenkovic gets some treatment for a bloody face. The Forest defender clashed with his own goalkeeper at that corner. I think we’re going to have more than the eight minutes given for stoppage time.
90+6 min: Palace are the only team looking to win this football match. Munoz sends in a searching low cross across Forest’s six-yard box, palmed clear by Sels, and from the resulting corner, Hughes tries a lob over the Forest goalkeeper … just over!
90+4 min: There’s a brief delay as the linesman’s audio headset is given some sort of fix. Not sure what the problem was there.
PALACE GOAL DISALLOWED!
90+2 min: Palace are again so close to a winner, but denied by the offside flag! Eze again wriggles into some space and gets a shot off through a crowd of bodies. Nketiah sticks out a boot and diverts a finish into the net, but replays show the former Arsenal striker was a yard off. Forest hanging on here a bit.
90 min: Eight minutes added on here. Eight!
EZE HITS THE BAR FOR PALACE!
88 min: Palace inches from that winner, as Eze cuts inside from the left and curls a beautiful shot over Sels towards the top corner, but the ball doesn’t quite dip under the bar, kissing the upright before going behind for a Forest goal kick.
86 min: Palace look the more likely to get the winner, here. A point is not what Forest would have wanted, but it’s not bad, given this performance.
84 min: Big chance for Palace and Lacroix! A cross is deflected to the big Frenchman at the far post, but Lacroix can’t adjust his feet in time and misdirects a header over the bar. It looked easier to score, despite the close attention of Williams.
83 min: More bookings! Forest pair Aina and Yates are cautioned for two tackles in the same move.
81 min: Palace stream forward against the depleted visitors. Nketiah breaks the offside trap and goes clean through, but shoots wildly from an acute angle when he might have been better off squaring the ball to a teammate.
Morata is finally allowed on as Forest return to 11 men. That would have been a real controversy if Nketiah had scored with the visitors down to 10.
80 min: Bad news for Forest, Murillo has pulled his hamstring. The Brazilian is going to have to go off and leaves the field of play. His compatriot Morata is being readied but Eze takes a free-kick and the referee allows play to continue. Forest are briefly down to 10 men!
78 min: Having failed to send Sangaré off, referee Andrew Madley sets about trying to book as many other players as he can. Both Palace’s Kamada and Forest’s Gibbs-White are cautioned for tackles.
76 min: Forest manager Nuno knows Sangare is walking a tightrope now, so brings off his midfielder. Yates is on.
Palace also make a change: Nketiah for Mateta.
75 min: Eze nutmegs Sangaré in midfield and is bodychecked by the Ivorian, who is already on a yellow card. The referee opts not to dish out a second booking, much to the groans of the home fans. That was right on the edge, I think it was probably the right decision, but only just.
74 min: Not the first time today, Sarr strides away on a Palace counter attack, only to be felled by the nearest Forest player. Williams goes into the book.
72 min: This game could go either way. Neither team is dominant.
Guéhi looks like he’s struggling with a knock. The Palace captain was limping a few moment ago.
70 min: Re my question over Sangare, a few of you have kindly been in touch to explain.
“Sangare was out injured for the first part of the season and then looked short of match fitness on his return in early February (I think),” emails Martin Widdicks. “He played in a few of the FA Cup games but it looked like Nuno didn’t trust his fitness and he was below Yates and Dominguez for the defensive midfielder spot. Fans seem to have mixed feelings towards him, some think he’s wonderful and should start, others think he flatters to deceive.”
“Record buy at £30 million at the beginning of last season but he’s been injured, at Afcon, sick, and injured at various stages throughout the past two seasons,” adds Simon Frank. “Seems he’s now fifth choice for centre midfield but a lot of us Forest fans still think there’s time for him to establish himself.”
68 min: Yellow card for Sangare, who clumsily catches Eze in midfield. That has been coming.
67 min: Nicolas Dominguez comes off for Ramon Sosa, in a change that looks like was planned before the Forest goal.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Murillo 65)
Forest hit straight back! From the corner, the ball comes out to Williams on the edge. The Welshman’s shot is scuffed, but Murillo deflects it beautifully with the outside of his foot, completely wrong-footing Henderson, and the ball flies into the corner!
64 min: A loose ball and Williams steals in ahead of Munoz to win a free-kick right on the edge of Palace’s box. It’s an acute angle, out towards Forest’s left wing, but Elanga tries his luck, curling an effort towards the top corner … saved by Henderson! Not a dissimilar effort from Toni Kroos’ famous free in the World Cup, although of course this one did not find the net. Corner to Forest.
62 min: That could be a crucial goal in Forest’s race for the Champions League. Those from City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Villa will have watched that Eze penalty with glee.
Worryingly for Palace, Wharton has had to be withdrawn. I think he took a knock in the build-up to that penalty. Will Hughes is on, a straight swap in the middle.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Eze pen 60)
It’s a stuttering unorthodox run up from Eze but the Palace playmaker sweeps his spot kick to Sels’ right into the corner. The Forest keeper guessed right but couldn’t get there.
PENALTY TO PALACE!
57 min: A hopeful cross into the box finds Mitchell at the back post. The Palace left-back beats both Dominguez and Sels to the ball and is bundled and tripped by both. Bizarrely, referee Andrew Madley doesn’t give the blatant penalty on the pitch, but VAR intervenes and the spot kick is given! Sels is given a yellow card. Eze to take the penalty for Palace …
53 min: England manager Thomas Tuchel is watching from the stands. Presumably with eyes on Guehi, Eze, Wharton, and Gibbs-White.
51 min: I could listen to Don Goodman, Sky Sports’ bizarre choice as co-commentator this evening say “the left calf of Lacroix” all night.
50 min: Forest go straight back on the offensive, counter-attacking at pace with Aina down their right. The full-back picks out Wood, who takes a lovely touch in Palace’s area, steadies himself and sees his shot squirm just a few inches wide, after a crucial block/deflection from Lacroix! That is a goal-saving intervention, Wood’s shot was destined for the far corner.
49 min: Right on cue, Palace spring into life. The ball breaks to Sarr on the edge of Forest’s box and the Senegalese wriggles away from his markers, only for Sels to make a brilliant save, spreading himself Schmeichel-style! How many times has the Belgian done that this season?
47 min: In what could be a very meme-able video clip, Glasner looks very perplexed at his side’s start to the second half. The Austrian is waving his arms around manically, his face a picture of curiosity and concern. Palace have not played well.
Peeeeeeeep!
Eze has just taken the Palace kick-off so I can confirm he is still on the pitch.
Half-time reading:
