Nuno Espirito Santo is very pleased with the way his side responded in their cagey 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The first half was tightly contested with both sides squandering good chances, but it was Matz Sels who opened the door for Palace, lunging late into a challenge on Tyrick Mitchell inside the box on the hour mark, with the penalty awarded following a VAR review.
Eberechi Eze coolly slotted home from 12 yards out to give Palace the lead, though Forest quickly restored parity when Murillo cleverly turned in Neco Williams’ driven shot just four minutes later.
Palace pushed hard for a winner in the dying minutes and Forest were forced to dig deep, with Eze crashing a curling shot into the crossbar, while Eddie Nketiah saw a stoppage-time goal chalked off for offside.
The draw extends Forest’s excellent record against Palace. The Tricky Trees have now avoided defeat to Palace in their last nine league meetings (three wins, six draws).
Speaking to Sky Sports, Nuno expressed pleasure at the way his side responded, not just to Palace’s opener but to a string of poor results in recent weeks.
“We reacted well from the previous performance and from the blow we got from the penalty of Palace,” he said in a post-match interview.
“We were in control of the game. We created and dominated a lot. The second half was different, it was a good reaction, but Palace created problems.
“They have a very organised shape, and they are really dangerous if they keep the shape. It’s important not to allow too many counter-attacks. We were positive but it’s not easy to play at Selhurst Park.
“We were much improved from last week, especially when we went behind. It’s very important, it’s the crucial moment of the game to react so quickly but then the game became a bit crazy [with Palace’s late chances].”
Looking ahead to Forest’s next match, which sees them host already-relegated Leicester City, Nuno added: “We have to do our job at the City Ground. We play Leicester and it’s going to be tough. [The race for top five] is for sure going all the way.”
A long journey to South London on a Monday night.
We cannot thank you enough for your fantastic support. pic.twitter.com/9O5iEAXa1A
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 5, 2025
Palace goalscorer Eze, meanwhile, thought the Eagles would find a way to take all three points late on, but added that he was happy with their performance as well.
“I think we had quite a few chances at the end. I thought we were going to take it at the end, but I think a point, we’ll take it,” the England international told Sky Sports.
“We’re positive, we know we put in a good performance today.
“We had quite a bit of time off, but I think the boys were top today to come back.
“It was a high-emotion game a week ago [the FA Cup semi-final win against Aston Villa], so to put in a performance like this today was important for us.”
Indeed, Eze was Palace’s standout player on the night. His penalty took him to 22 goal involvements for the season (10 goals, 12 assists), matching his best-ever return in a single campaign in 2019-20.
It also saw him become the first Palace player to register double figures in both goals and assists in all competitions in a single season since their return to the Premier League in 2013.
