Forest survive Palace to keep CL dream as Murillo’s magical moment retains advantage over Chelsea

Nottm Forest toiled away to survive at Crystal Palace to prove they have the stomach to topple Chelsea in the fight for the Champions League…

Nottingham Forest have spent most of this season in dreamland after fighting relegation for two seasons as they have mounted a sustained challenge for the Champions League places under a revitalised Nuno Espirito Santo, with his sorry Spurs days very much in the rearview mirror.

At one stage, a second-place finish looked more than a realistic target, but they have stuttered at the worst-possible moment as their Champions League dreams have faded during the run-in.

A run of four losses in five games severely dented their chances of returning to Europe’s elite competition, with weekend wins for Man City, Chelsea and Aston Villa leaving them sixth in the Premier League table.

A deserved 2-0 loss against Brentford last Thursday provided clear evidence of fatigue, with Forest using fewer players than any other Premier League team this season, while a lack of a clinical edge in attack has been another new sticking point for Nuno’s once-ruthless side to contend with.

Before Forest’s trip to Selhurst Park on Monday night, Nuno pleaded with his side to “enjoy” the fight for the Champions League as “no one expected them there”.

This is right, but it’s easier said than done, especially facing a Palace side flying on a three-game unbeaten run and in a buoyant mood after their win at Wembley booked their place in the FA Cup final against Man City, who bested Forest in their semi-final.

Palace and Forest’s opposing mindsets were clear from the opening whistle at Selhurst Park, with the host’s confidence evident through their crisp passing and early sights at goal.

Forest were fortunate not to concede from a corner in the opening stages, but Forest grew into the game and ended the half the strongest to dampen the atmosphere at Selhurst Park.

Still, the visitors did not create enough in this positive spell, with Palace let off the hook as the first half was nothing to write home about; Daniel Munoz had Palace’s solitary shot on target before Anthony Elanga came close from a rapid counter-attack.

Elanga’s chance was the only example of either side threatening on the counter-attack before the interval as the teams cancelled each other out, fearful of overcommitting amid the serious threat of conceding on the break.

Thankfully for neutrals, the game opened up after the restart…

Palace’s attacking output was disappointing in the first half, but immediately after the restart, in-form pair Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr got themselves into the thick of the action; the latter forced Sels into a strong save before a goal-saving block from Maxence Lacroix denied Chris Wood a goal at the other end inside a breathless minute.

The Eagles did eventually make the most of their front-foot start to the second period, though.

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Referee Andy Madley had a no-brainer decision once he checked the pitchside VAR monitor, awarding a penalty to Palace after Sels wiped out Tyrick Mitchell.

With Palace having missed their previous two penalties, Forest would have been hopeful of a reprieve, but Eze is in scintillating form and was bullish as he fired the ball into the corner of the net, to which he simply let out a cheeky grin as he lapped up the admiration coming his way.

This goal had the potential to be a hammer blow for Forest’s Champions League hopes, but what they lacked in confidence and sharpness, they made up for with grit and character as they clawed their way back into the game.

Their equaliser came only four minutes after Eze’s spot-kick. It was not the prettiest goal you’ll ever see, but Murillo’s brilliant improvisation saw him ricochet Neco Williams’ shot from the edge of the area into the goal in a priceless moment for a misfiring side to build on.

They could not do so to earn the win in this match; Murillo was forced off with injury in the last ten minutes to turn the tide of the game again, as Palace looked the likeliest to snatch all three points at the end.

As he was for most of the half, Eze stepped up for Palace and threatened another win-clinching moment, striking the bar via a sublime curled effort from distance before another shot was turned home by substitute Eddie Nketiah, who was in an offside position.

Forest breathed a sigh of relief at surviving these moments of near-heartbreak, picking up a hard-earned point at the end of a tense 113 minutes.

Palace will come away disappointed not to pick up the victory, but Oliver Glasner insisted pre-match that “the best preparation for the FA Cup final is to have two great performances against Forest and on Sunday against Spurs” and they can take positives – especially from their second half showing – from this draw before their pre-Wembley meeting with Dr Tottenham.

Forest were crying out for a positive result/performance to boost morale and stunt their decline, which they just about got at Selhurst Park.

Nuno will be praying that Murillo’s injury isn’t serious (Jamie Carragher suspects he’s fine after his dramatised post-match limping) and that Callum Hudson-Odoi’s absence does not extend beyond a single match, but they retain a strong chance of qualifying for the Champions League, albeit now as the underdogs to their rivals.

But this is surely how they would prefer it to be and Nottm Forest (Leicester City and West Ham) have a far more favourable run-in than fifth-placed Chelsea (Newcastle United and Manchester United) ahead of their final-day clash against Enzo Maresca’s side at the City Ground.

Forest, as this season’s overachievers, also possesses another advantage as the little guys looking to surpass “expectations” as they have displayed the necessary fight amid adversity to outdo the Blues based on desire.

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