It is fair to say Oliver Glasner has had more enjoyable afternoons. The Nottingham Forest head coach arrived in south London dressed like a bouncer from All Bar One in a black bomber jacket, as if he was anticipating trouble, but was instead given a rapturous reception by the home fans who used to worship him.
The generosity towards their former manager seemed to have extended to Palace's players as Dan Ndoye was handed a goal in the third minute. Pierre Sage's side were awful in the opening 40 minutes. Yet Forest could not find a way to beat Walter Benítez again as Liam Delap missed a golden chance to extend their lead and the Argentina goalkeeper's heroics inspired a thrilling comeback that secured Sage's first home victory in the Premier League since taking over from Glasner in the summer.
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The irony that Daichi Kamada, who won the Europa League under Glasner while they were at Eintracht Frankfurt before he brought him to Selhurst Park on a free transfer, should score his first Premier League goal to equalise in his 68th appearance was surely not lost on the Austrian.
But he and the notoriously trigger-happy Evangelos Marinakis – the Forest owner who was conspicuous by his absence from the directors' box after his public spats with his Palace counterpart, Steve Parish – will have serious concerns about how his team capitulated after conceding the equaliser. Jefferson Lerma bundled home the second from a corner just before half-time and Yéremy Pino wrapped up the points with a goal that was greeted with a chorus of: "You're getting sacked in the morning", directed towards Glasner.
"Call it karma or whatever but it was like I didn't deserve to win at Selhurst Park because the players did everything," said Glasner, who claimed not to have heard the taunts from the Palace fans. "I think this was the most dominant Nottingham Forest performance. But not the right result. So, this gives me confidence. My job is not to be influenced negatively by the result."
There has been plenty of water under the bridge since these two sides met here 14 months ago. Marinakis is suing Palace and "persons unknown" after a banner featuring an incendiary cartoon of him was unfurled during the first half of that game, with the supporters' group that is thought to have been behind it having since disbanded. Glasner's decision to join Forest in the summer only added to the ill-feeling that was created by the dispute over Palace's demotion from the Europa League last season, even if the Austrian was given a warm welcome before and after the game.
The home fans made it clear where their grievances remain as they immediately launched into the anti-Uefa and Marinakis song that was the soundtrack to their Conference League triumph under Glasner, while the Forest supporters responded with taunts of: "We've got Ollie Glasner". They had more reason to celebrate after only two minutes when Anan Khalaili's weak header presented Ndoye with the chance to run through and score. Forest could barely believe their luck.
They piled on the pressure, with makeshift defender Lerma – only playing in the absence of the suspended Axel Disasi – looking particularly vulnerable. Jaydee Canvot was guilty of losing possession when Morgan Gibbs-White picked out the unmarked Ndoye and Benítez tipped over before Daniel Muñoz was inches away from scoring against his former club.
But the momentum shifted firmly towards the hosts thanks to a miraculous save from Benítez – deputising for the injured Dean Henderson – that denied Delap from three yards out after Gibbs-White's shot rebound off the crossbar. "Walter made a save with a lot of bravery," said Sage, who refused the opportunity to gloat about beating Glasner. "It's not about revenge," he insisted.
Delap spurned another golden opportunity with his head and Forest were made to pay just before the break when Kamada scrambled home inside the six-yard area after Jørgen Strand Larsen's pass deflected straight into his path. Suddenly Palace found their belief. Tyrick Mitchell's volley was tipped over and from the resulting corner Lerma leapt highest and the ball squirmed through the legs of Matz Sels and just over the line. Replays suggested that Lerma's effort grazed the arm of team-mate Khalaili on its way in, but VAR let the matter go.
One characteristic Sage has inherited is his team's difficulty in defending set pieces and Palace were lucky to escape when a header from Gibbs-White at the start of the second half was deflected on to the post by Mitchell. Forest looked at sixes and sevens at the other end when Lerma again caused chaos from a corner but they scrambled the ball away.
There was no such reprieve a few minutes later when Quinten Timber's pass was diverted into the path of Strand Larsen and Pino made no mistake with the rebound. The Spain forward then turned provider but Strand Larsen could not find a way past Sels. That didn't stop the Palace fans from gleefully asking Glasner what the score was. Ndoye and Neco Williams had chances to make things interesting late on but Forest – and Glasner – had been humbled by then.
