Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace. Premier League.
The City GroundAttendance29,443.
Report and match highlights as Chris Wood settled a tight game at the City Ground; Dean Henderson allowed Wood's decider to squirm carelessly beneath him; Crystal Palace remain winless after eight played - one of four teams yet to register a win; Forest rise to eighth in the table
Tuesday 22 October 2024 09:25, UK
Chris Wood heaped more misery on a blunt Crystal Palace with the decisive goal in a scrappy 1-0 victory at the City Ground.
Despite Eberechi Eze and Eddie Nketiah's best efforts - both hitting the woodwork - Palace were unable to unlock Forest's stubborn backline, and have now picked up three points from their opening eight matches.
They are one of four Premier League teams - alongside Ipswich, Southampton and Wolves - yet to find a winning formula this season, with Oliver Glasner conceding Palace's confidence has hit a low.
Eventual scorer Wood missed a hat-trick of chances before unleashing the winner, responsible for nearly all of Forest's first-half xG value (1.15), going closest when connecting with Elliot Anderson's teasing cross.
Ryan Yates hit the post from a looping header at one end, while Nketiah struck the frame of Matz Sels' goal with a long-ranger at the other, but clear-cut chances continued to be at a premium.
A similar pattern continued after the break until Eze drew a wonderful fingertip save from faultless Sels, before Wood finally made persistence pay, his strike squeezing beyond a blundering Dean Henderson after a woeful defensive header from Trevoh Chalobah.
Forest win their first home game of the campaign as a result, with in-form Wood scoring seven of his side's last 10 league goals and five of their eight this season.
"I was just trying to hit the target, I had a few chances in the first half that didn't go my way," Wood said of his goal. "It is important we keep looking forward."
Palace, meanwhile, remain the lowest scorers in the division having only found the net five times - an average of 0.6 per 90.
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher speaking on MNF:
"Crystal Palace need to target home games as opportunities to get the results.
"Liverpool went there a few weeks ago and were hanging on a bit. It can be a difficult place for opposition teams to go. They have to make Selhurst Park a fortress.
"It is getting to the stage where they need to start picking up points - still early days but they will start getting a little bit nervous."
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner:
"We are all frustrated and disappointed as always one or two situations decide the game. At the moment, it goes against us, but we have to get through it together.
"I saw the team fighting from the first to the last second, we created chances, hit the post twice.
"At the moment we don't score goals and we have to be honest. No goal today, no goal vs Liverpool, no goal vs Manchester United, and if you play like this it is difficult to win.
"In the final third we very often took the wrong decisions and this is through a lack of confidence."
