Wood’s Winner Piles Pressure on Palace

Nottingham Forest finally snapped their seven-game winless streak at the City Ground with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace!

October 21, 2024
9:20 pm

Nottingham Forest finally broke their seven-game winless streak at home with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at the City Ground, thanks to Chris Wood’s second-half goal. Forest came into this match eager to turn things around after some tough home games. Crystal Palace, also looking for their first win of the season, made the trip to the East Midlands but left feeling disappointed.

Palace started strong, with Eberechi Eze almost scoring early on with a curling shot that went just wide. Forest quickly responded, as Elliot Anderson forced Dean Henderson into a great save after some slick footwork in the box. The game opened up, and both teams had plenty of chances.

Eddie Nketiah came close for Palace, hitting the woodwork with a long-range shot. At the other end, Ryan Yates nearly put Forest ahead with a looping header that hit the post. Despite all the action, the first half ended goalless.

The second half kept the intensity going, with Eze leading Palace’s attack. He had a volley saved brilliantly by Matz Sels, who was a key player for Forest. Eze almost scored again with a deflected shot that Sels tipped onto the bar, a real turning point in the match.

In the 65th minute, Forest took advantage when Chris Wood found the net. After getting the ball just outside the box, Wood fired a shot that slipped under Henderson, who was a bit slow to react. With their confidence up, Forest pushed for a second goal to secure the win.

Palace didn’t give up, nearly equalizing through substitute Jeffrey Schlupp. But once again, Sels came through with another fantastic save to deny him. Despite a late surge from the Eagles, Forest’s defense held strong, clinching a valuable three points and moving up to eighth in the Premier League.

For Palace, this loss adds to their tough start, leaving them winless in their first eight league matches for the first time since the 1992/93 season. The pressure is on manager Oliver Glasner to find a winning strategy for the struggling Eagles. Meanwhile, Forest will be buzzing from this gritty win and will look to build on it as they aim to climb higher in the table.