Crystal Palace came from a goal down to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday, giving Pierre Sage his first Premier League home win in charge. Dan Ndoye scored in the third minute for Forest, but Daichi Kamada equalized in the 41st minute, Jefferson Lerma scored in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, and Yéremy Pino made it 3-1 in the 59th. It was also Palace’s first Premier League win over Forest in 13 attempts and spoiled former Palace manager Oliver Glasner’s return.
Nottingham Forest had the better of the early chances and the early goal. By halftime, Crystal Palace had flipped the game on its head.
Forest Strike Early
Forest needed just three minutes to break the deadlock. Dan Ndoye capitalized on a careless backpass from Anan Khalaili and drove a fine shot past Walter Benítez to stun Selhurst Park.
Palace nearly replied immediately. Jørgen Strand Larsen twice threatened to level, only to be denied by a sharp save from Matz Sels and a timely block from Murillo.
But Forest soon took control of the match and created a host of chances. Ndoye headed straight at Benítez, and Daniel Muñoz, up against his old side, swiped a dipping effort inches wide. Morgan Gibbs-White’s long-range effort crashed against the crossbar, and the rebound fell to Liam Delap, whose close-range volley was superbly kept out by Benítez. The Palace goalkeeper’s saves kept the deficit at one goal.
Palace Turn It Around Before the Break
The home side gradually grew into the contest. In the 41st minute, Kamada capped a fine team move to level the score with his first Premier League goal, sparking relief around Selhurst Park.
Palace completed the turnaround on the stroke of halftime. Sels parried Tyrick Mitchell’s wicked volley, and Lerma bundled the resulting corner in through Sels’ legs, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, to make it 2-1.
Pino Makes It Three
Forest came out of the break looking for an answer, but their wastefulness continued, with Xaver Schlager and Gibbs-White both squandering openings. Sels denied Lerma a second header with a timely save.
Palace made their next chance count. In the 59th minute, Sels parried an effort from Strand Larsen straight into the path of Pino, who reacted quickest and slotted the rebound home to make it 3-1.
Palace kept pushing for a fourth, while Benítez continued to make important interventions, including a late parry from Chris Wood’s header.
The Numbers
The match was a statistical outlier. The two sides combined for 3.8 expected goals before halftime, the highest first-half total in a Premier League match in 2026. Forest had 16 first-half shots, their joint-most before the break in a Premier League game since their latest promotion, including 10 attempts in just 22 minutes. Overall, the game produced 12 big chances, with only Manchester United against Ipswich Town in August (13) producing more this season.
Forest’s wastefulness cost them. They scored once from an expected goals total of 2.97, while Palace scored three from 2.38. The defeat ended a nine-match unbeaten away league run for Forest against Palace (three wins, six draws), dating back to December 2003.
For Sage, it’s a first home league win in charge. For Palace, it’s a first Premier League win over Forest in 13 attempts, after eight draws and four defeats. The Eagles have now beaten every one of the 35 teams they have faced at least five times in the competition.
A Difficult Return for Glasner
It was a disappointing afternoon for Oliver Glasner, who left Palace in the summer and was back at Selhurst Park for the first time. His Forest side will rue the chances they missed.
For Palace, the performance showed character: recovering from an early setback to take three deserved points.
