LONDON – Nottingham Forest’s quest for Champions League football next season suffered a setback when they were held to a 1-1 Premier League draw by Crystal Palace on Monday as Murillo cancelled out Eberechi Eze’s penalty for the home side. The draw leaves Forest in sixth place in the table on 61 points from 35 games, two points behind fifth-placed Chelsea in the final Champions League qualification position. Mid-table Palace took the lead at Selhurst Park when Eze converted a penalty on the hour-mark after Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels had felled Tyrick Mitchell. Eze also hit the crossbar late on.
The lead lasted four minutes before Neco Williams’ shot was deflected into the Palace net by defender Murillo, who limped off shortly afterwards with a hamstring injury that could see him miss Forest’s run-in to the end of the campaign. “It was a game of two halves,” Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo told Sky Sports.
“First half we controlled the game. Second half we started good but then Palace reacted. It was good for us that we achieved the goal so soon after the (Palace) score. “The final games (of the season) are going to be like this, nervous games, tight games. Everybody is fighting for something. It is up to us to react.”
Palace have still not beaten Forest in the top division since 1991 but stepped closer to their Premier League record points total of 49. They have 46 with three games to play. “We had quite a few chances at the end,” Eze said. “I thought we were going to take it, but I think a point, we’ll take it. We’re positive, we know we put in a good performance.”
It took almost 35 minutes for Palace to have the first effort on goal when Daniel Munoz’s volley from 10 yards was well saved by Sels. Palace were awarded a penalty on 60 minutes when Mitchell was felled by the out-stretched leg of Sels for what looked a clear penalty, though it took a Video Assistant Referee to confirm it. Eze, who missed a spot-kick at Newcastle United last month, swept the ball into the left corner, just past the out-stretched arm of Sels. Forest were soon level though as a corner was cleared to Williams on the edge of the box and his low shot was intentionally deflected into the net by Murillo.Eze’s curling shot from 30-yards smashed against the crossbar late on, while his shot was turned into the Forest net by Eddie Nketiah, but the latter was offside.
