Crystal Palace secured a 3-1 comeback victory over Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park on Sunday, ending a 12-match winless run against their opponents in the Premier League. Daichi Kamada, Jefferson Lerma, and Yeremy Pino scored after an early opener from Dan Ndoye.
Crystal Palace Ends Winless Run Against Nottingham Forest
Crystal Palace turned around an early deficit to defeat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Selhurst Park during the sixth round of the Premier League 2026/2027 season. The fixture was held on Sunday, with the hosts looking to climb the standings after entering the day positioned 15th with four points, while their visiting opponents sat 13th with five points. The result marks Crystal Palace’s first league victory against Nottingham Forest after 12 prior meetings that yielded eight draws and four defeats.
The visitors opened the scoring in the third minute when Dan Ndoye capitalized on a defensive error involving a header from Anan Khalaili, racing toward goal to net his second strike of the campaign. Palace sought an equalizer immediately, but visiting goalkeeper Matz Sels denied Jorgen Strand Larsen and Walter Benitez kept out a header from Ndoye, while Morgan Gibbs-White hit the crossbar for Forest.
Refereeing Controversy and Goals Before the Break
The momentum shifted before halftime through a coordinated Palace attack finished by Daichi Kamada in the 41st minute. Right before the interval, in the 45+4th minute, Jefferson Lerma met a corner kick with a header that slipped between Sels’ legs and crossed the goalline.
That second goal sparked an intense VAR review and widespread refereeing debate after television replays showed the ball potentially striking Anan Khalaili’s elbow before entering the net. The video assistant referee checked the incident but decided against intervening, allowing the goal to stand. Former English referee Mark Halsey publicly criticized the decision, arguing that the passage warranted a handball foul under current officiating standards.
Pino Seals Victory and League Standings Shift
Palace put the result beyond doubt in the second half when Yeremy Pino scored in the 59th minute. Walter Benitez earned the match MVP award from Flashscore.
Following this fixture, Crystal Palace climbs to 12th place in the league table with seven points from six matches, marking their second victory in their last 13 league outings following four draws and seven defeats during that span. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest slips to 14th with five points.
