A noisy Selhurst Park, a rare free stream, and a score shared
The second Sunday of the Premier League season didn’t feel like a routine early-round fixture. It felt charged. Crystal Palace’s first home league game since lifting their first major trophy — the FA Cup in May — arrived with a roar, protests, and a rare free-to-air stream. The meeting of Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday, August 24, 2025, ended 1-1, but the storyline stretched well beyond the scoreline.
Kickoff was 13:00 UTC (8:30 am IST), and Selhurst Park sounded like a cup night. Palace fans unveiled banners targeting UEFA and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, angry over the club’s controversial drop to the UEFA Europa Conference League despite their FA Cup triumph. The backdrop of boardroom friction met a Forest side riding the high of a seventh-place finish last season and buoyed by a confident opening-day win over Brentford.
On the pitch, the game swung fast. Palace pushed early, and Ismaila Sarr delivered the breakthrough, finishing a neat move that exposed Forest between their full-backs and center-backs. Forest answered after halftime with growing control of wide areas, and Callum Hudson-Odoi got the equalizer, steering home after a crisp passage that stretched Palace’s back line.
The result reflected the balance of the afternoon. Palace’s rhythm looked sharper when they found quick outlets into the channels, using Sarr’s speed and the clever runs off the striker to drag Forest into awkward spots. Forest, meanwhile, leaned on their strength out wide, switching play to isolate defenders and sending early service into the box for the physically imposing Chris Wood.
Marc Guéhi anchored Palace well in the air and on the turn, reading danger whenever Forest tried to drop balls into the corridor. Wood kept him honest, engaging in the kind of back-to-goal duels that wear down a center-half over 90 minutes. Neither side was shy about set pieces either; both had moments where a flicked header or second ball looked destined to settle it.
It was also Palace’s first league game at Selhurst since the departure of Everetti Es, the FA Cup final hero. His exit was felt most in the final third, where Palace built cleanly but missed that last bit of improvisation in crowded zones. The hosts still created enough to feel they could have won it, yet Forest’s improved control after the break made the draw feel fair.
The viewing setup was unusual for a Premier League match: coverage was available free on BBC iPlayer. It brought in a wider UK audience than a typical paywalled broadcast. Internationally, fans picked it up on the usual networks, including NBC Sports and Sky Sports via subscriptions. The free stream didn’t dull the noise inside the ground. If anything, the cameras caught the defiance: a wall of sound, banners aimed at UEFA and the Forest hierarchy, and a fan base savoring a new era while still feeling wronged.
What the draw tells us about both teams
Two games in, both clubs sit on four points. That’s tidy business for Forest, who want back-to-back top-half finishes and have added muscle with high-profile signings led by Chris Wood. It also settles Palace, who had to marry the buzz of last season’s cup run with the grind of this one. They look solid, organized, and dangerous in transition — traits that travel well over 38 matches.
The bigger picture for Palace is European. They earned the right to dream of Europa League nights, then saw that dream downgraded to the Conference League after a messy off-field saga that spilled into public view. That’s where the weekend’s protests came from: pride in a historic FA Cup and frustration that the reward was diluted. The squad now has to manage Thursday-Sunday rhythm later in the year, which tests depth and discipline. The upside? Selhurst under the lights is made for those games, and knockout football suits the energy of this team.
Forest, for their part, look more methodical than last year. They traded the chaos of end-to-end exchanges for a clearer plan: steady build-up, patient switches, and an emphasis on width. Hudson-Odoi’s equalizer capped their best phase and underlined why he offers end product from either flank. When they got Wood moving defenders around the box, Palace had to drop deeper, which opened pockets for late runners. It wasn’t a flood of chances, but it was measured pressure that likely pleased their analysts.
Palace’s back line deserves mention beyond Guéhi. The recovery runs were sharp, and the defensive shape held despite Forest’s wide switches. Where Palace will want more is in multi-pass combinations on the edge of the area. Without Everetti Es, they may have to spread the creative load — a bit more from overlapping full-backs, a bit more from the No. 8s drifting into half-spaces, and a bit more direct running from wide to force panic.
From a season-progress viewpoint, the draw is workable for both. Forest leave South London with a point and no major damage, continuing a steady start. Palace protect home momentum, bank another result, and move forward with a platform ahead of a busier autumn schedule once Europe begins. The fixture was labeled early-season, but the tone — the protests, the atmosphere, the bragging rights — felt like March.
- Final score: Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest
- Scorers: Ismaila Sarr (Palace), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Forest)
- Venue: Selhurst Park
- Round: 2 of the 2025-26 Premier League season
- Kickoff: 13:00 UTC (8:30 am IST)
- Free UK stream: BBC iPlayer; other broadcasts via subscription services
- Notable players: Marc Guéhi (Palace), Chris Wood and Hudson-Odoi (Forest)
- Both teams: four points from two games
The subplot between the clubs won’t fade quickly. Palace supporters feel they were short-changed in Europe; Forest’s ownership sits in the crosshairs of that anger. On the grass, though, the football did most of the talking. One clean finish each, some bruising duels, and the sense that both sides left with something — a point on the table, and a message sent for the months ahead.
