Dean Henderson's costly error against his former club handed Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Monday, moving Forest up to eighth place in the Premier League standings. Chris Wood’s second-half goal was enough to secure the win as Henderson misjudged a low shot from Wood, allowing it to slip through his grasp.
With this defeat, Palace remains in the bottom three of the league, still without a win this season. The Eagles have struggled offensively, scoring just five goals in their opening eight matches. Eddie Nketiah and Eberechi Eze both hit the woodwork for Palace, but their misfortune in front of goal continued.
In contrast, Nottingham Forest are enjoying an impressive start to the season, overtaking Manchester United and Newcastle to reach the top half of the table. The match marked Forest’s first home win since April, though manager Nuno Espirito Santo had to watch from the stands due to a three-match touchline ban. Owner Evangelos Marinakis also served the first of his five-game stadium suspension after an incident during last month's defeat to Fulham.
Despite missing key players like Morgan Gibbs-White and James Ward-Prowse due to suspensions, Forest had the advantage of a striker in form. Chris Wood’s goal brought his tally to five for the season, placing him just behind Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, and Bryan Mbeumo in the Premier League scoring charts.
Henderson, who played a crucial role in keeping Forest in the Premier League while on loan last season, had a moment to forget 25 minutes from time. He got a hand to Wood's shot but failed to keep it out, resulting in Palace’s defeat.
Matz Sels, in contrast, delivered an impressive performance for Forest, making key saves. He tipped a powerful shot from Eze onto the crossbar just moments before Wood’s goal and denied Jeffrey Schlupp with another acrobatic save.
Nketiah, who has yet to score a Premier League goal since his £30 million move from Arsenal, struck the post from long range in the first half. Forest’s Ryan Yates also hit the woodwork early in the match. However, as in their previous three wins this season, Forest managed to secure victory with a single goal.
