Pierre Sage believes Crystal Palace are in a better condition to prepare for their Europa League game against Lyon after recovering from a difficult start to beat Nottingham Forest.
The Eagles fell behind early when Dan Ndoye scored for Oliver Glasner’s side, and Palace struggled for much of the opening period. They stayed in the contest, however, before Daichi Kamada and Jefferson Lerma scored before half-time to turn the match around.
Yeremy Pino added a third goal after the interval, giving Sage his first win at Selhurst Park as Palace manager. The result also completed a comeback against Forest, who are managed by Palace’s former boss Glasner.
Sage accepted that the performance was not perfect, but said the victory could help his players approach the Lyon fixture with greater calm and confidence. He felt winning before the European match was more valuable than producing an improved display and then losing, because the result puts Palace in a better position mentally for the next challenge.
