CRYSTAL PALACE BOSS PIERRE SAGE HAS BEEN HANDED FRESH HOPE AFTER NOTTINGHAM FOREST WIN, BUT ONE BIG PROBLEM REMAINS

CRYSTAL PALACE BOSS PIERRE SAGE HAS BEEN HANDED FRESH HOPE AFTER NOTTINGHAM FOREST WIN, BUT ONE BIG PROBLEM REMAINS

Pierre Sage finally has a home league win to his name, and it came in the most dramatic circumstances possible. Crystal Palace beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at Selhurst Park, with goals from Daichi Kamada, Jefferson Lerma and Yeremy Pino. The occasion carried extra spice, since Oliver Glasner was back at Selhurst for the first time since leaving Palace for Forest, the man who led the club to the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Conference League. He was greeted warmly by the home fans, apart from one chant late on suggesting he would be sacked in the morning. The visitors made a flying start, as Dan Ndoye scored in the third minute and Forest dominated much of the first half. Palace stayed in the game, though. Kamada and Lerma scored twice in eight minutes at the end of the first half, and Pino sealed it just before the hour. It was also a historic result, as Palace beat Forest in the Premier League for the first time in 13 attempts. For a side that had struggled for rhythm, it was only their second league win of the season, and it lifted them out of a slow start that had left them 15th in the table before kick-off.

There was plenty for Sage to take from it. The comeback showed resilience, and Palace were far more dangerous at the key moments. Set pieces made the difference, with Kamada equalising after a scramble from a corner and Lerma heading the second goal just before the break. Walter Benitez also played his part, making an excellent save to keep out an unmarked Ndoye header and another late on to deny Chris Wood. Sage played down any talk of revenge on his predecessor, and Glasner was gracious in defeat, saying his team played their best performance of the season, which tells its own story about how the game went. Forest are now just two points above the relegation zone, while Palace have ended a long wait against a rival that had gone nine league games unbeaten away to them. For a manager still settling in, that kind of result does wonders for confidence in the dressing room and patience in the stands.

The problem, though, is hard to ignore. Palace were poor for large stretches, and a win this good-looking hid some alarming habits. Forest needed only three minutes to score, as Ndoye pounced on a careless backpass from Anan Khalaili. One report described misplaced passes galore, continuous errors and poor defending that made it far too easy for Forest to attack in transition. The numbers back that up, as Forest created eight big chances, more than any Premier League side has managed in a defeat since 2010-11 apart from one. Palace were rescued by wasteful finishing, with Xaver Schlager and Morgan Gibbs-White both squandering good openings, and better opponents will not be so generous. Up front, both Strand Larsen and Liam Delap struggled, so Palace still need goals from elsewhere. There is also the absence of captain Dean Henderson, who was on crutches before the international break and remained sidelined. Sage has the result and the belief he wanted, but unless the defensive errors and sloppy build-up are fixed quickly, Palace’s fresh hope could fade just as fast.