Crystal Palace stage impressive comeback to defeat Nottingham Forest 3-1 in Premier League clash
Crystal Palace came from behind to secure a memorable 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park, recording their first home win of the Premier League season and climbing above their opponents in the standings.
The Eagles endured a nightmare opening as Forest took the lead just three minutes into the match, leaving the majority of the home supporters stunned.
Anan Khalaili attempted to head the ball back towards goalkeeper Walter Benitez from a considerable distance, but his effort instead fell into the path of Dan Ndoye. The Forest forward took full advantage, curling a composed finish past the Argentine goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.
Khalaili nearly made up for his costly mistake moments later when his first-time cross was redirected towards goal by Jørgen Strand Larsen. However, Matz Sels reacted brilliantly to make a scrambling save and preserve Forest’s advantage.
Palace struggled to cope with Forest’s attacking threat during the opening 20 minutes, with Benitez producing an important point-blank save to prevent Ndoye from doubling his tally. The hosts were subsequently forced into desperate defending as Ousmane Diomande saw two close-range attempts blocked.
Forest continued to create promising opportunities but failed to capitalise on their dominance. Former Palace defender Daniel Muñoz missed a golden chance to extend the visitors’ lead after sending a close-range half-volley wide.
Benitez then produced another remarkable intervention to keep Palace in the contest. Morgan Gibbs-White struck an effort against the underside of the crossbar, with the rebound falling perfectly for Liam Delap to attempt a half-volley. Despite being on the ground, the Palace goalkeeper recovered quickly enough to make an astonishing save with his midriff.
Forest’s failure to convert their numerous chances eventually proved costly, as Palace found an equaliser five minutes before half-time.
A neat passing move through midfield created the opening for Daichi Kamada, who calmly lifted the ball over Sels from close range to bring the hosts back on level terms.
The goal was initially met with anxiety as VAR reviewed the incident, but the tension inside Selhurst Park quickly turned into loud celebrations when the strike was confirmed.
Palace completed their turnaround just before the interval, taking a 2-1 lead through Jefferson Lerma. Adam Wharton delivered an inswinging corner, which Lerma headed down and beyond Sels, with the ball slipping through the goalkeeper’s legs and into the net.
Forest were handed one final opportunity to equalise before half-time, but Ndoye failed to make the most of it, firing his effort over the crossbar.
The atmosphere at Selhurst Park had completely transformed by the interval, with Palace supporters celebrating as their players headed down the tunnel after turning a difficult start into a commanding position.
Forest attempted to respond immediately after the restart, coming close to restoring parity three minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White won a header at the far post, but the ball struck the upright and bounced dangerously around the penalty area before Benitez eventually collected it.
Palace soon punished another defensive mistake from the visitors to extend their advantage to 3-1.
Strand Larsen fired towards goal from close range, but Sels managed to block his attempt. Unfortunately for Forest, the rebound fell directly to Yéremy Pino, who calmly slotted the ball into the empty net.
Once again, VAR delayed the celebrations while officials examined the goal. However, the decision was confirmed, prompting another eruption of noise from the home crowd.
Palace continued to push forward, and Sels was forced into another important save to deny Strand Larsen from close range and prevent the deficit from becoming even more embarrassing for Forest.
The visitors struggled to find a response and wasted another promising opportunity when Ndoye collected Sels’ goal-kick and raced towards goal before firing into the side netting.
Benitez remained one of Palace’s standout performers, producing another superb save to deny Chris Wood from point-blank range. Gibbs-White delivered an inviting cross, and the New Zealand striker connected with a powerful header, but the goalkeeper reacted sharply to push the ball upwards and away from danger.
Palace almost added a fourth goal during stoppage time when Chris Richards rose to meet a header, only for his effort to drift narrowly wide of the left post.
That missed opportunity did little to dampen the celebrations, as the Eagles comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to claim all three points.
The result gave Crystal Palace their first Premier League home victory since April and marked their first-ever Premier League win over Nottingham Forest.
More importantly, the comeback lifted Palace above Forest in the league table and moved them into 12th place, capping off an impressive afternoon at Selhurst Park after their early defensive struggles.
Nottingham Forest suffer devastating collapse as Crystal Palace turn early setback into stunning 3-1 victory
