Dean Henderson’s costly mistake allowed Nottingham Forest to secure a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Monday, lifting Forest to eighth place in the Premier League. Chris Wood’s second-half goal, resulting from a low shot that slipped through Henderson’s hands, left Palace in the bottom three, still searching for their first league win of the season.
Eddie Nketiah and Eberechi Eze both hit the woodwork for Palace, which remains the lowest-scoring team in the league with only five goals in eight games. Meanwhile, Forest, with a strong start to the campaign, moved ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle into the top half of the table.
Nuno Espirito Santo observed his team’s first home victory since April from the stands, as he served the first of a three-match touchline ban. Forest’s owner, Evangelos Marinakis, was also serving a five-game stadium ban following an incident in last month’s 1-0 loss to Fulham. Despite suspensions for Morgan Gibbs-White and James Ward-Prowse, Forest managed to triumph.
Wood’s goal took his tally to five this season, placing him alongside top scorers like Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, and Bryan Mbeumo. Henderson, who played a pivotal role in keeping Forest in the Premier League during his loan spell in the 2022-23 season, couldn’t prevent the ball from slipping past him 25 minutes from time.
Goalkeeper Matz Sels was instrumental for Forest, pulling off critical saves, including a crucial deflection of Eze’s strike onto the bar right before Wood’s goal. Sels also made a notable save from Jeffrey Schlupp’s shot.
Nketiah, still waiting for his first Premier League goal since his £30 million move from Arsenal, hit the post in the first half. Ryan Yates also struck the woodwork early in the match, but one goal was enough for Nuno’s side to claim all three points.
