Nottingham Forest secured a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, with Callum Hudson-Odoi’s equalizer cancelling out Ismaila Sarr’s debut goal for Palace. The match, played amidst speculation about Nuno Espirito Santo’s future, saw both teams create chances to win, but ultimately settle for a point. Data highlights a trend of draws between the two sides, and individual milestones for players like Daniel Munoz and Dan Ndoye.
Amidst swirling speculation regarding his future at the helm, Nuno Espirito Santo watched his Nottingham Forest side claw their way to a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace in a hard-fought Premier League encounter at Selhurst Park on Sunday. The match, filled with moments of brilliance and near misses, saw Callum Hudson-Odoi's second-half equalizer cancel out Ismaila Sarr's earlier strike for the Eagles, ensuring both teams left with a share of the spoils.
Crystal Palace, playing their first match after the high-profile transfer of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal, started brightly and dominated the early exchanges. Their attacking intent was rewarded in the 37th minute when Ismaila Sarr, making his debut for the club, latched onto a precise cross from Daniel Munoz to fire a neat first-time finish past the Forest goalkeeper. The home side nearly doubled their advantage before the interval, with Will Hughes's powerful drive whistling narrowly wide of the post and Marc Guehi's header cannoning off the woodwork, leaving Forest reeling.
However, the visitors emerged from the break with renewed vigor, determined to salvage something from the match. Their persistence paid off just 12 minutes into the second half when Callum Hudson-Odoi, displaying his blistering pace and clinical finishing, raced onto a perfectly weighted pass from Dan Ndoye to slot the ball past the Palace keeper and level the score. The goal injected fresh impetus into Forest's attack, and they pushed forward in search of a winner, while Palace looked to absorb the pressure and hit on the counter. The game opened up, with both teams trading blows in a frantic end-to-end affair.
In the dying moments of the match, Forest came agonizingly close to snatching all three points. Substitute Igor Jesus saw his powerful shot crash against the post, while Omari Hutchinson, with the goal at his mercy, lifted his effort over the bar from close range, much to the dismay of the travelling Forest supporters. As the final whistle blew, both sides were left to reflect on what might have been, settling for a draw that did little to ease the pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo.
A point at Palace.pic.twitter.com/trLOXUwHNe
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 24, 2025
Data Debrief: A History of Stalemate
The draw continued a recent trend between these two sides, with five of the last six Premier League meetings between Palace and Forest ending in a stalemate – the most in any fixture since the beginning of the 2022-23 season. The Eagles, however, can take some solace from extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 12 matches, their longest such streak as a top-flight club since October 1990 (13 games). For Forest, the point provides a small measure of relief amidst the uncertainty surrounding their manager's future.
Daniel Munoz's assist for Sarr's goal was his 10th in the Premier League, making him only the second defender to reach double figures since his debut in February 2024, after Antonee Robinson (13). On the other hand, Dan Ndoye's assist for Hudson-Odoi meant that he is the first Forest player to score or assist in both his first two Premier League games for the club since Geoff Thomas in August 1998. These individual milestones provided some bright spots in what was ultimately a frustrating afternoon for both teams.
The result leaves both Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest in mid-table, with work to do if they are to achieve their respective ambitions this season. For Palace, the challenge will be to replace the creativity and dynamism of Eberechi Eze, while for Forest, the priority will be to resolve the uncertainty surrounding Nuno Espirito Santo and build a consistent run of form.