It’s been a mixed bag for Crystal Palace following managerial change over the summer.
There have already been calls for Pierre Sage to receive his marching orders. A 0-0 draw at Leeds United prior to the international break provided a brief reprieve for the former Lens boss.
The welcome of Nottingham Forest, now under the watchful eye of former Palace boss Oliver Glasner, provided the perfect chance to claim a first home result of the campaign.
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However, the Eagles’ afternoon got off to a poor start. Anan Khalaili’s early mistake presented Dan Ndoye with the opportunity to fire the Tricky Trees in front. The Swiss made no mistake in tucking past Walter Benitez.
Khalaili almost made amends shortly after, his cross finding Jorgen Strand Larsen. The Norway international was denied by Matz Sels as Palace pushed for an immediate response.
Ndoye should have had a second with 20 minutes on the clock as Forest pressed for a second. Morgan Gibbs-White won possession brilliantly and picked out the unmarked forward at the back post. Benitez, though, was equal to Ndoye’s header. And from the resulting corners, Gibbs-White was twice picked out unmarked at the back stick, though Forest failed to maximise their dominance.
Former Palace man Daniel Munoz then perhaps should have done better having found himself in acres of space at the back post. It was a running theme for Palace in the opening 45 that the defence just couldn’t handle the deep crosses that Forest were throwing into the box.
Forest again let Palace off the hook with 10 minutes of the first half remaining. The Midlands side sprung a rapid counter, which saw a Gibbs-White effort deflect off the bar. And from the resulting rebound, Liam Delap opted for power over precision, only to be denied by Benitez.
Delap spurned another chance to double Forest’s advantage, and they were made to pay with 40 minutes on the clock. Daichi Kamada scored his first Premier League goal to fire Palace level completely against the run of play.
And the Eagles went in at the break ahead. Tyrick Mitchell’s effort from range was turned over by Sels. From the resulting corner, Jefferson Lerma headed past the Forest shotstopper in first-half stoppage time. Ndoye missed a guilt-edged chance with the penultimate kick of the half as Palace, somehow, took a lead into half time.
Palace continued to struggle to defend at the back post, and shortly after the restart, Gibbs-White spurned another Forest chance, dragging an effort wide having been picked out by Neco Williams. At the other end, a combination of Sels and Murillo denied Lerma a second and Palace a third.
On the hour mark, Palace gave themselves some breathing space after some good link up play between Quentin Timber and Yeremy Pino. The former’s return pass for the latter was deflected into the path of Strand Larsen, whose shot was blocked by Sels. Pino, though, made no mistake to double the home side’s advantage.
Pino almost turned provider shortly after, only for Sels to again push a Strand Larsen strike away. Glasner opted to take Delap off for Chris Wood for the final 20, and the New Zealander was presented with a great chance to halve the deficit with 10 minutes to play. Wood’s header, however, was straight at Benitez as Forest wasted another opportunity.
Munoz missed a late header to set up a tense finish, yet Palace held out to secure an unlikely three points in a 3-1 home win.
Palace’s back-post struggles
Palace rode their luck on Sunday, that goes without saying. For the opening 40 minutes, Forest battered the Eagles. Their profligacy ultimately proved their undoing. And they largely did so by putting deep crosses into the back post.
In a three-man backline, the wing-backs are supposed to be on hand to provide an additional defensive option when on the backfoot. Both Anan Khalaili and Tyrick Mitchell struggled with the rapid cross-field switches that was carving Palace open.
Forest didn’t make Palace pay, though not through want of trying. Rather, Pierre Sage’s men rode their luck and then some in an eventual home triumph. In future, they won’t be so lucky.
Eagles fortunate to take flight
A 3-1 win over Forest marked Palace’s first home league victory since Sage took over. That it came against their former manager perhaps made the success that bit sweeter. In truth, on another day, Forest would have been out of sight by the time Kamada scored Palace’s equaliser.
Palace started brightly, but quickly faded as the above momentum charge showed. And as Forest sought to build upon Dan Ndoye’s opener, they continued to huff and puff, but just could break the hosts down.
For much of the second half, too, Forest were in the ascendency, even after falling further behind. That’s to be expected of a Palace side that boasts the third lowest possession haul (42.9%) in the Premier League this season. Sage’s men were fortunate to claim a result on Sunday afternoon.
Misfiring forwards a concern
This is a worry for both sides. Jorgen Strand Larsen, Liam Delap and Chris Wood all failed to get on the scoresheet on Sunday. It wasn’t for want of trying. No Palace player had more shots than Strand Larsen (3) at Selhurst Park.
Delap and Wood managed three between them for Forest. One of three of Strand Larsen’s opportunities was deemed a big chance, which he missed. For Forest, all three of Delap and Wood’s shots were also clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. None went in.
It’s a concern for both Palace and Forest. In a potential relegation battle, they need their frontmen firing on all cylinders. The Tricky Trees found that out the hard way as just one of their 24 shots beat Benitez.