Blunt Crystal Palace fail to take advantage of Williams red card as Nottingham Forest battle to draw | OneFootball

In a contest with potentially huge consequences for the Premier League relegation battle, neither Nottingham Forest nor Crystal Palace could secure what would have been a crucial three points at the City Ground. 

Forest showed their resilience and character after the interval, responding positively after Neco Williams was dismissed for handball on the goalline.

The draw denied the Reds the opportunity to climb the table, while Palace’s winless run stretched to 12 matches.

Given the size of the task that Forest faced in the second half, they will take encouragement from a hard-earned point and the positives to emerge from the performance.

For Palace, however, there will be a sense of frustration at a lack of ambition shown in the second-half, failing to register a single shot on target after the interval.

It was a fixture that, following the clubs’ heated summer spat over Forest taking Palace’s place in the Europa League, had long been circled in the calendar as one to watch.

With new signing Stefan Ortega watching on from the stands, Matz Sels was called into action inside the opening three minutes, producing a fine stop to deny Jefferson Lerma.

The Belgian shot-stopper shared the Golden Glove alongside Arsenal’s David Raya last season, but the arrival of Ortega from Manchester City sends a strong message, with Forest eager to steer clear of the relegation scrap.

And it was the hosts that drew first blood at the other end. The visitors failed to clear their lines from Ola Aina’s long throw, allowing Morgan Gibbs-White room to latch onto the loose ball and fire confidently into the net.

Forest continued to move the ball quickly and exploit pockets of space, mirroring their midweek display, with Igor Jesus causing trouble for the Palace backline across both flanks.

The Brazilian forward, coming off a brace against Ferencvaros, almost doubled Forest’s lead in unusual fashion, with his attempt to pick out Gibbs-White instead drifting just wide of the bottom-right corner.

The hosts remained comfortable in possession as Palace tried to work their way back into the game, but with Jean-Philippe Mateta absent, Evan Guessand not registered in time, and a deal for Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen yet to be finalised, the visitors lacked the cutting edge to test Sels.

However, just a minute before the break, Forest handed Palace the ultimate lifeline.

Will Hughes’ corner was met by a free header from Lerma, and with no other option on the goalline, Williams elected to parry the ball away using his hand, forcing referee Tony Harrington to point to the spot and dismiss the defender.

Ismaila Sarr stepped up and calmly rolled his penalty straight down the middle, drawing Palace level on the cusp of half-time.

Chadi Riad may have considered himself fortunate not to mark his first start in 13 months by being given his marching orders after bringing down Igor Jesus on the break – but he was swiftly replaced by Christantus Uche as Palace regrouped into a back four. 

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Forest continued to push forward with intent, coming closest on 70 minutes when Aina’s effort struck the side netting.

Given both sides were conscious of their respective league positions, there was a sense that one defining moment was still to come in the final moments of the match.

But as Forest attempted to drive forward once more – restricted by the demands of playing with 10 men and the fatigue of some that had played in the week – that decisive moment never came. 

Instead, both sides will continue to battle their way out of their current positions, with Forest travelling to Leeds, while Palace host their M23 rivals Brighton next weekend.