Pierre Sage believes Crystal Palace are in a stronger position to prepare for their Europa League fixture against Lyon after recovering from a difficult start to beat Nottingham Forest.
Palace fell behind early at Selhurst Park when Dan Ndoye scored for Forest, who are managed by former Eagles boss Oliver Glasner. The visitors put Palace under pressure for much of the opening half, but Sage’s side stayed in the contest.
Daichi Kamada levelled before the break, and Jefferson Lerma then put Palace ahead. Yeremy Pino added a third to complete a comeback victory and give Sage his first win at Selhurst Park.
Sage acknowledged that the performance was not flawless, but said the result could help the squad approach the Lyon match with greater calm and confidence. He argued that winning, even without producing a perfect display, can provide a better platform for preparing for the next challenge than playing well and losing.
Palace will now turn their attention to the trip to Lyon, with Sage stressing the importance of using the Forest result while recognising that his team still has areas to improve.
