Ismaila Sarr converted a first-half penalty to give Crystal Palace a hard-earned 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. The result lifted Palace to 14th place while Forest remain in 17th, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Gibbs-White Opens Scoring Before Red Card Drama
Nottingham Forest took the lead through Morgan Gibbs-White, who calmly chested the ball down and finished close range with composure. Sean Dyche’s side looked comfortable and dominant for much of the first half. The turning point came right on half-time when defender Neco Williams received a straight red card for handling Jefferson Lerma’s goal-bound header on the line. This gave Palace the penalty, which Sarr stroked home to level the scores. To make matters worse for Forest, goalkeeper Matz Sels picked up an injury and was replaced at half-time by new signing Stefan Ortega.
Forest Show Resilience Despite Man Down
Even with 10 men Forest refused to sit back and continued to push forward. Gibbs-White remained influential while Ola Aina created chances as the hosts looked to regain the lead. Palace failed to register a single shot on target in the second half despite their numerical advantage, leaving manager Oliver Glasner disappointed with the lack of cutting edge. Forest’s performance provided optimism after recent wins over Brentford and Ferencvaros, showing they can compete strongly even shorthanded. They are now unbeaten in four league games and progressed in the Europa League with a 4-0 win over Ferencvaros.
Palace ended a run of three straight defeats but remain winless in their last 12 matches across all competitions. Without Jean-Philippe Mateta they lacked attacking threat and physical presence. Forest’s ambition and effort deserved at least a point, if not more, while Palace edged closer to safety but produced a flat display overall.
Upcoming Fixtures
Forest next travel to face Leeds United on Friday 6 February at 20:00 GMT. Crystal Palace head to rivals Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday 8 February at 14:00 GMT.
