Nottingham Forest’s incredible start to the season continued at the City Ground as they beat a struggling Crystal Palace 1-0, thanks to a goal from in-form forward Chris Wood.
The first half was goalless, but not without incident. Wood saw an effort cleared off the line by Jefferson Lerma, and former Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah hit the woodwork for Palace with a shot from distance.
Spanish full-back Álex Moreno was denied his first Forest goal as his towering header hit the upright on the cusp of halftime.
As the two sides reconvened for the second period, it was the turn of Forest keeper Matz Sels to take centre stage as the Belgian shot-stopper was equal to everything The Eagles threw at him.
The game's only goal came when Wood caught the ball on the edge of the box with a first-time effort, which scuffed along the ground but was saveable for Dean Henderson. Still, the former Manchester United keeper somehow let the ball through to give Nuno Espírito Santo’ s side all three points.
The win sees Forest move up to eighth, level on points with Tottenham Hotspur and just a point behind Chelsea.
Forest’s staggering start to the season continues, but what did we learn from it?
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Chris Wood continues to impress
As the game continues to progress and change and more teams look to move to more of the “Pep Style” of football, the need for a big number nine is dwindling.
So, when Nuno opted to continue with Chris Wood at the beginning of the season, eyebrows were raised. But the decision has paid off, and the big Kiwi striker is in the form of his life.
His goal against Palace was his fifth in eight Premier League games, and it does not look like he will stop anytime soon.
In this game, he was a thorn in the side of Palace’s backline, consistently making a nuisance of himself and forcing the back three to go to areas of the pitch that they did not want to go.
His goal was the result of the confidence the towering forward is currently feeling. His self-assurance to shoot from 20 yards with defenders in his way and from a slight angle says everything you need to know about the New Zealander.
On another day, Wood could have had a hattrick had it not been for a decent stop from Henderson and a clearance from Lerma.
But his game is not just about goals; his ability to bring Forest’s more technical-minded players into the game is sensational. He won’t touch the ball often in a game, but his little flicks and movements bring the likes of Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi into the game, and they will undoubtedly love playing with the New Zealander.
Since Forest’s promotion back to the Premier League, there has been a revolving door of goalkeepers at the City Ground, with the likes of Matt Turner, Dean Henderson, Keylor Navas and Odysseas Vlachodimos all occupying the position in between the sticks.
But it appears that the former Strasbourg man Matz Sels has finally settled the uncertainty around the position and made it his own.
Sels has kept three clean sheets in eight games this season and has been critical to Forest’s surprise success so far.
While impressive, Nottingham Forest’s display against Crystal Palace was not without periods where the away side were on top. But Sels’ shot-stopper ability kept his side in front and made Oliver Glasner’s side wonder if they would ever score.
Sels made a remarkable seven saves throughout the game, including one in the dying embers that had Glasner looking to the sky and screaming in anguish.
Forest are going to spend large periods of games under the cosh, and the Belgian international is going to be vital in making sure they maintain this form.
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Nottingham Forest are becoming the team others do not want to play
In every Premier League season, there is a team that everyone dreads facing, not necessarily because of the quality the side has but because of the battle you will have to fight to get anything out of the game.
This season, it looks like Nottingham Forest will be that team.
In the era of high-possession football, where coaches like to keep the ball on the ground and knock it about nicely and where many teams' styles are eerily similar, Nottingham Forest are a complete anomaly.
This was displayed in the game against Crystal Palace; the South London team clearly played far more aesthetically pleasing football than their opposition, but the fight in this Forest side is the great equaliser in any game.
The midfield trio of Nicolás Domingues, Ryan Yates and Elliot Anderson get through an unbelievable amount of work and make sure their opposition’s most creative players get no time on the ball.
Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo’s centre-back partnership looks like an old-school one that is not afraid to impose its will upon strikers, and the aforementioned Chris Wood plays like a classic number nine and has opposition defenders in battles they do not want to be in.
They are slowly building a reputation as the Premier League’s most difficult team to play against, and it is clear why.
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Nuno nails his tactics
Nuno Espírito Santo’s touchline ban meant he had to watch last night’s proceedings from a box in the upper echelons of the City Ground. But make no mistake about it: it was very much Nuno’s team that were playing.
Nuno’s tactics this season have been notable in that they change from game to game. Nobody seems to know what they will be up against when they play the Tricky Trees.
Last night, they played opportunistically, knowing when to let Palace have the ball but also picking their moments to assert their physical dominance and get forward.
The discipline that the former Wolves manager has instilled in this team is clear. Every individual seems to know what their job is and when they need to do it.
After going a goal up, the side knew to sit back and not force the issue. Many managers would look to press for a second to drive home the advantage, but Nuno understood his side stood a better chance of getting all three points by sitting back, maintaining their shape, and frustrating the visitors, and that is precisely how it played out.
Nuno seems to have a plan for everybody, but nobody seems to have a plan to face him.
