Selhurst roars, woodwork groans, yet Palace are held in combustible ‘El Casico’

In a night shaped as much by principle as by points, Crystal Palace led, dominated key moments, and still saw Nottingham Forest escape with a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. Ismaila Sarr struck eight minutes before the break from Daniel Muñoz’s precise cross, a deserved reward for the hosts’ growing control in a game dubbed ‘El Casico’ after a summer of grievance.

Marc Guéhi’s header cannoned off the near post on the stroke of half-time and Will Hughes had earlier whistled one wide, but the cushion never came. Forest levelled on 57 minutes with their only shot on target as Dan Ndoye’s pass sprung Callum Hudson‑Odoi to beat Dean Henderson at his near post, leaving Palace to rue missed chances and a late VAR check that went against Sarr.

South London heat: tifos, chants and a point to prove

The night carried a charge from the opening whistle. Palace supporters unfurled a prominent banner aimed at Evangelos Marinakis and filled the air with anti‑Uefa chants, a reflection of their anger at Forest’s role in the CAS verdict that shifted Palace from the Europa League to the Conference League. Marinakis did not attend, but Forest’s squad arrived with heavy security, sharpening the edge.

A special tifo greeted kick‑off, depicting former captain Joel Ward lifting silverware with the message “Built from glass – etched in silver.” It set a mood: pride, defiance and purpose. Forest had the first half‑sniffs through Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs‑White, but the din of Selhurst gradually pushed Palace onto the front foot.

Sarr leads the way in a post‑Eze world

This was Palace’s first league game since Eberechi Eze’s move to Arsenal, and Sarr carried the attacking burden with conviction. When Forest failed to clear Tyrick Mitchell’s delivery, Adam Wharton moved the ball quickly to Muñoz and the Colombian’s cross was perfect for Sarr to sweep home first time — a composed finish to cap sustained pressure.

Glasner’s blueprint remained clear: use Jean‑Philippe Mateta as a reference point and unleash runners around him. Mateta drew a smart save from Matz Sels from range, Hughes fizzed narrowly wide, and the captain Guéhi planted a header against the post from a Wharton free‑kick seconds before the interval. The margin between control and command was, quite literally, the width of a post.

Fine margins and the near‑post sting

Palace’s intensity dipped after the break, the likely hangover from Thursday’s European exertions. Nuno Espírito Santo switched Hudson‑Odoi and Ndoye, and the combination undid Palace on 57 minutes — Ndoye’s crossfield release, Hudson‑Odoi’s burst inside, and a low finish that crept inside Henderson’s near stick despite the goalkeeper getting a boot to it, with England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on.

It was Forest’s only shot on target, underlining the thinness of the margin that denied Palace a statement win on a fraught evening. Even then, the Eagles created enough chaos to threaten a second, only to see the most dramatic moments come at the other end as Igor Jesus crashed the post and Omari Hutchinson lofted over in stoppage time.

Depth laid bare, bright sparks, and the road ahead

Palace’s bench told its own story — two goalkeepers among the substitutes and academy graduate Kaden Rodney named — and the second half showed how much energy had been spent in midweek. There were positives: Sarr’s authority, Wharton’s tempo, and a late cameo from Romain Esse that hinted at solutions as Glasner looks to replace Eze’s incision.

The finale brought one last hope when Sarr went down under Murillo’s challenge, but VAR saw no foul. The draw keeps momentum intact ahead of Thursday’s Conference League trip to Norway to face Fredrikstad with a 1‑0 aggregate lead, before a Premier League visit to Aston Villa. With squad depth stretched, new signings before the window closes feel imperative.