It’s fair to say Oliver Glasner has had more enjoyable afternoons. The Nottingham Forest head coach arrived in south London dressed like a bouncer from All Bar One in a black bomber jacket as if he was anticipating trouble but was given a rapturous reception by the home fans who used to worship him.
The generosity towards their former manager seemed to have extended to Crystal Palace’s players as Dan Ndoye was handed a goal in the third minute with Pierre Sage’s side awful in the opening half hour. Yet Forest could not put a second goal past Walter Benítez and the Argentina goalkeeper’s heroics inspired a thrilling comeback that secured Sage’s first home victory in the Premier League since taking over from Glasner in the summer. The irony that Daichi Kamada, who won the Europa League under Glasner while they were at Eintracht Frankfurt before he brought him to Selhurst Park on a free transfer, should score his first Premier League goal to equalise in his 68th appearance was surely not lost on the Austrian.
But he and the notoriously trigger-happy Evangelos Marinakis – the Forest owner who was conspicuous by his absence from the directors’ box after his public spats with his Palace counterpart, Steve Parish – will have serious concerns about how his team capitulated after conceding the equaliser. Jefferson Lerma bundled home the second from a corner just before half-time and Yéremy Pino wrapped up the points with a goal that was greeted with a chorus of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” directed towards Glasner.
There has been plenty of water under the bridge since these two sides met here last August. Marinakis is suing Palace and “persons unknown” after a banner featuring an incendiary cartoon of him was unfurled during the first half of that game, with the supporters’ group that is thought to have been behind that having since disbanded. Glasner’s decision to join Forest in the summer only added to the ill-feeling that was created by the dispute over Palace’s demotion from the Europa League last season, even if the Austrian was given a warm welcome when he emerged before kick-off.
Instead, the home fans made it clear where their grievances remain as they immediately launched into the anti-Uefa and Marinakis song that was the soundtrack to their Conference League triumph under Glasner, while the Forest supporters responded with taunts of “We’ve got Ollie Glasner”. They had more reason to celebrate after only two minutes when Anan Khalaili’s weak header presented Ndoye with the chance to run through and beat Benítez with ease. Forest could barely believe their luck.
The Israeli wingback almost made up for his error by setting up Jørgen Strand Larsen, only for Matz Sels to repel his effort. Forest piled on the pressure, with makeshift defender Lerma – only playing in the absence of the suspended Axel Disasi – looking particularly vulnerable. Jaydee Canvot was guilty of losing possession when Morgan Gibbs-White picked out the unmarked Ndoye and Benítez tipped over before Daniel Muñoz was inches away from scoring against his former club – something that would not have gone down well with the Palace supporters.
But the momentum shifted back in Palace’s favour after a miraculous double save from Benítez denied Liam Delap from three yards out when he pushed Gibbs-White’s shot on to the crossbar. Delap spurned another golden opportunity with his head and Forest were made to pay just before the break when Kamada scrambled home inside the six-yard area after Strand Larsen’s pass deflected straight into his path.
Suddenly Palace found their belief. Tyrick Mitchell’s volley was tipped over and from the resulting corner Lerma leapt highest as the ball squirmed through the legs of Sels and just over the line. Glasner looked deeply unimpressed as he headed down the tunnel at half-time. One characteristic Sage has inherited from his predecessor is his side’s difficulty in defending set-pieces and Palace were lucky to escape when a header from Gibbs-White was deflected on to the post by Mitchell.
Forest looked at sixes and sevens at the other end when Lerma again caused chaos from a corner but they were able to scramble the ball away. There was no such reprieve a few minutes later when Quinten Timber’s pass was diverted into the path of Strand Larsen and Pino made no mistake with the rebound. The Spain forward then turned provider but Strand Larsen could not find a way past Sels this time. That didn’t stop the Palace fans from asking Glasner what the score was. Ndoye and Neco Williams both had chances to make things interesting late on but Forest – and Glasner – were well beaten by then.
