Nottingham Forest end run of three defeats with 1-1 draw at Ipswich

Nottingham Forest moved out of the Premier League relegation zone but were again left to rue missed chances as they were held to a draw by Ipswich at Portman Road. Oliver Glasner's side dominated large periods of the game and took a deserved lead in the 13th minute when Neco Williams cushioned home Daniel Munoz's right-wing cross at the back post for his first Forest goal since April. The returning Morgan Gibbs-White also had an effort saved by the toe of Town keeper Christian Walton before Leif Davis hacked the ball off the line. Ipswich made Forest pay in the 41st minute when Nikola Milenkovic dwelt on the ball and his eventual backpass was too short and allowed Julio Enciso to collect and slot past Matz Sels for his first goal for the club since his summer move. There was a controversial moment three minutes into the second half when Forest midfielder James McAtee was brought down by home defender Issa Diop when attempting to break through on goal. Referee Thomas Bramall initially waved play on but the video assistant referee (VAR) recommended an on-field review for a red card for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity. But, after reviewing the footage, Bramall opted to award a yellow card and a free-kick, explaining that McAtee "had knocked the ball to the right side of the goal". Forest boss Glasner told Sky Sports it was a "clear red card", but he "liked" the referee going to the screen and following the "right procedure". That seemed to light a spark in his side, who went on to miss numerous chances to seal a second victory of the season after a disappointing start under Glasner. An unmarked Murillo headed a corner wide, Dan Ndoye had an effort cleared off the line by the outstretched leg of Davis and striker Liam Delap headed over from six yards and whipped a low effort just wide as he returned to his former club. Callum Hudson-Odoi also dragged an effort off target in late pressure from the visitors, while Jack Clarke curled wide at the other end for Gary O'Neil's men. After three straight defeats, the point moved Forest above Coventry City and Tottenham up to 16th place on six points, although they could end the weekend back in the bottom three, while Ipswich are ninth.

If ever a 90 minutes summed up a season, this was it for Nottingham Forest. After their opening seven league games, their expected goals tally stood at -6.2. That figure only continues to rise after an xG of 2.31 tonight. The under-performing leaves more for questions for Glasner to answer, especially with the previous disdain Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has shown for a poor run of form. Last season alone they had four managers, and it is just over a year since Ange Postecoglou's 39-day reign ended following six defeats and no wins in eight games. Glasner also had a slow start at former club Crystal Palace, failing to taste victory in his opening six games in charge and then their first eight in his first full season, and the Austrian and Marinakis are said to be in constant contact and have a good relationship. Their lack of goals - now a joint-league low of six in seven games - is a concern and it was confusing why Glasner left Chris Wood, who he has asked to lead a group discussion around goalscoring in training this season, on the bench until the 94th minute. Delap worked hard again but failed to hit the target with any of his three shots and, with only one goal since his £50m summer move from Chelsea, his place in the starting XI is likely to come under question sooner rather than later. On the subject of missed chances, Glasner added on Sky Sports: "We don't need to address it. Sometimes you try a huge effort and things don't work. "You are encouraging them to keep going because you have these periods in sport and life. "When I see the way we play, the spirit and the chances, the only way now is to stay patient and not make the problem bigger. "It's a question of time and maybe in a few weeks you will be asking why we are scoring so many goals." After his 150th Premier League appearance for the club, Gibbs-White added Forest have been asking themselves about their struggles in front of goal and accepted it was a "mentality thing", but also a period of "bad luck". Ipswich will be disappointed with their own display - they only had one shot in the second half - but a seventh home point of the season matches their tally from the 2024-25 campaign when they were relegated. Boss O'Neil told Sky Sports: "There's no aim. Of course we want a second year in the Premier League but we will try and finish as high as we can. "Newly promoted sides can find it difficult but we have bridged that gap well. We have found a way most weeks to find a way to bridge the gap."