Crystal Palace were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, despite the visitors playing over 45 minutes with ten men after Neco Williams was sent off for deliberate handball on the goal line. The result leaves Palace with just three points from their last nine matches, deepening their relegation concerns.
Forest took the lead in the first half through Morgan Gibbs-White, who scored his sixth goal of the season after a scramble from a long throw-in. However, the game turned just before half-time when Williams was shown a red card for using his hand to stop Jefferson Lerma's header from crossing the line. Ismaila Sarr calmly converted the resulting penalty to level the score.
Despite being a man down, Forest remained resilient in the second half. They defended deep but still posed a threat on the counter, with Ibrahim Sangare firing wide and Dan Ndoye thrashing into the side netting. Palace dominated possession but struggled to create clear chances, while debutant goalkeeper Angus Gunn was rarely tested after replacing the injured Matz Sels.
The match was marked by tension between the two sets of fans, stemming from Palace's demotion to the Conference League and Forest's promotion to the Europa League in the summer. Both sides moved a point further clear of the relegation zone with the draw, which saw Forest hold on for a hard-earned point despite their numerical disadvantage.
