Forest climb out of relegation zone after 1-1 Ipswich draw

Nottingham Forest climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich on Friday, but left Portman Road with reason to regret their missed chances. Neco Williams gave the visitors an early lead before Julio Enciso equalised after a defensive error.

Forest were the dominant side for much of the match and had opportunities to claim what would have been only their second league win of the season. Instead, the point took Oliver Glasner’s side to 16th place on six points.

Early lead lost to an error

Williams put Forest ahead in the 13th minute, turning in Daniel Munoz’s cross from the right at the back post. It was his first Forest goal since April and gave the visitors a deserved lead.

The returning Morgan Gibbs-White nearly added another, but Ipswich goalkeeper Christian Walton saved his effort with his toe. Leif Davis then cleared the ball off the line as Forest continued to threaten.

Ipswich equalised in the 41st minute when Nikola Milenkovic’s backpass fell short. Enciso seized on the loose ball and finished past Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels, undoing much of the visitors’ work in the first half.

Forest press for a winner

A decision involving James McAtee brought another significant moment early in the second half. After McAtee was brought down by Issa Diop, referee Thomas Bramall initially allowed play to continue. The VAR recommended an on-field review for a possible red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

Bramall instead awarded a yellow card and a free-kick. He explained that McAtee “had knocked the ball to the right side of the goal”.

Forest kept pushing but could not turn their chances into a winner. An unmarked Murillo headed a corner wide, while Dan Ndoye saw an effort cleared off the line. Former Ipswich striker Liam Delap also headed over from six yards and sent a low shot just wide.

What the point means

The draw lifted Forest above Coventry and Tottenham, although they could still finish the weekend back in the bottom three. Ipswich are ninth.

For Forest, the immediate gain is a move out of the relegation zone. The frustration is that their lead, sustained pressure and second-half openings brought only one point from a match in which they had chances to take all three.