Palace complete Selhurst Park comeback as Benitez repeatedly denies Forest

What happened

Crystal Palace recovered from an early deficit to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Selhurst Park, turning a difficult opening into a convincing result on Oliver Glasner’s return to south London. The victory was built on a response before half-time and Walter Benitez’s later interventions when Forest threatened to reopen the contest.

Forest took the lead when Dan Ndoye capitalised on uncertainty in the Palace defence and finished beyond Benitez. The visitors had opportunities to extend their advantage, with Ndoye denied by the Palace goalkeeper and a further opening involving Morgan Gibbs-White and Liam Delap also going unfinished.

Palace changed the direction of the game before the interval. Daichi Kamada levelled with a powerful finish inside the area, and the hosts then moved in front during a goalmouth scramble. The supplied reports differ over the credited scorer of that second goal: one account names Jefferson Lerma, while Sky Sports attributes the 2-1 goal to Anan Khalaili. The goal was also surrounded by a handball controversy, with footage reported to show the final touch striking Khalaili’s hand before it crossed the line.

Palace added a third after Forest failed to clear their lines, with Yeremy Pino reported to have taken advantage of the loose ball. That gave the Eagles valuable breathing room, although Forest still created openings. Benitez produced another close-range stop late on, following an earlier denial of Ndoye, while Matz Sels also had to make a strong save to keep out Jorgen Strand-Larsen’s volley. Quinten Timber sent another Forest opportunity over the bar, but Palace held on for a three-goal return and a 3-1 Premier League win.

How the game was won

The match developed into a contest in which Palace had to withstand Forest’s direct threat before making the most of defensive uncertainty at the other end. Forest found dangerous moments through Ndoye and the combination of Gibbs-White and Delap, showing that Palace’s early defensive confusion was not an isolated warning.

Palace’s response was built around decisive actions in the penalty area. Kamada’s powerful finish brought them level, while the go-ahead goal came from a crowded goalmouth situation and the third followed a failed Forest clearance. That sequence suggests the hosts were effective at attacking second balls and loose defensive moments, even if the evidence does not establish a specific formation or sustained territorial dominance.

Benitez was central to the result. He stopped Ndoye and later made another point-blank save, ensuring Forest’s chances did not translate into further goals. Palace therefore combined clinical finishing during key attacking phases with important emergency defending at the other end. The disputed handball incident remains a significant caveat around the second goal, but the 3-1 scoreline was secured by Palace’s ability to recover from the early setback and punish Forest’s mistakes.