Nottingham Forest breathed a sigh of relief on Monday, escaping a winless streak at the City Ground with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. The hero of the hour was Chris Wood, whose fifth goal of the season proved to be the difference-maker, propelling Forest into the top half of the Premier League table.
The New Zealand international was a constant threat throughout the match, coming close on several occasions before finally breaking through in the 64th minute. A thunderous right-foot strike from outside the box, leaving Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson utterly helpless, sent the ball rocketing past the helpless keeper and into the back of the net.
Wood’s goal was a testament to his consistent efforts, but Forest also owed a significant debt to their goalkeeper, Matz Sels. The Belgian shot-stopper produced two sensational saves in the latter stages of the match, denying Eberechi Eze from a free kick after an hour and then thwarting Jeffrey Schlupp with just nine minutes remaining.
“We needed a home win and thankfully we got it,” a relieved Wood said after the match. “We did the consistent things that we have always been doing. We showed tonight that we have a full squad that we can compete with. It’s vitally important but we’ve got to keep going.”
The victory brought an end to Forest’s seven-game winless run at the City Ground, while Crystal Palace remain in a precarious position, languishing third from bottom with no wins from their last eight matches. The pressure is mounting on Palace manager, Roy Hodgson, to turn around their fortunes.
As the Premier League season heats up, Forest will be looking to build on this momentum and solidify their position in the top half. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace will need to find a way to rediscover their winning form to avoid a dangerous slide down the table.