Dean Henderson gripped his head, in that universal reaction of despair. So, too, 50 yards away, did his manager Oliver Glasner, screeching at the frustrating way a plan had come unstuck.
None of this mattered to Chris Wood, mind you. Despair in one set of ranks can only mean joy in another and off went the Nerw Zealand striker, sucking his thumb in delight, as he received an unexpected gift to help end a hoodoo.
Remarkably, it had been 203 days since Nottingham Forest had won at The City Ground but that unwanted sequence is now at an end thanks to shot from Wood that Henderson handled as if it was a grenade without a pin. There would be no comeback for Crystal Palace.
It was only last week Henderson was basking in the joy of making a long overdue first England start, here he was now hoping the ground would swallow him up. Woods shot slithered over the line and took Forest over it, too, having for long periods looked as if they might crumble.
This has been an encouraging start to the campaign for Forest, who had their head coach Nuno Espirito Santo serving a ban in the stands, but it was still a relief to get maximum points at a venue that has been the reason they have managed to stay in the top-flight for the last two seasons.
Chris Wood’s fine form in front of goal continued as Nottingham Forest beat Crystal Palace 1-0
The New Zealander struck thanks to a woeful error from Eagles goalkeeper Dean Henderson
Hapless Crystal Palace remain without a win across their opening eight games of the season
Quite how things ended up this way for Glasner, though, will take some studying. Palace were excellent, clever with the ball and organised without it. They remain in the relegation zone but – famous last words – nothing about this display would have you worried for their future.
For a team that had slipped into the cycle of losing, there was no hint in the early stages of Crystal Palace being out of confidence or lacking certainty. If anything, the opposite was true and they started just how Glasner would have wanted, stepping firmly onto the front foot.
When a head coach has a player whose feet are as gifted as Eberichi Eze there is always hope and Forest’s defenders, foolishly, allowed him to breeze forward in the fourth minute, using Nikola Milenkovic to shield his intentions from goalkeeper Mats Sels.
From 20 yards, Eze swept a curling left foot effort around Milenkovic but, with Sels rooted to his spot, the ball grazed the outside of the post, prompting sharp intakes of breathe all around. It wouldn’t be the last time the England international was involved, with interim head coach .
Forest, as was to be expected, responded. You can’t help but enjoy football in a stadium such as this on a night when the lights are blazing and all it took was a couple of adventures forward to get the locals hollering. Really, after one flurry in the 16th minute, they should have been cheering.
Quite how Dean Henderson’s goal remained intact after a 90-second spell that saw Elliot Anderson tiptoe into the area and have shot pushed wide, a Chris Wood header be cleared off the line by Marc Guehi – what a fine defender he is – and then Wood head another chance over was remarkable.
Surely this was going to be the launchpad for Forest? It resembled one of those assaults in a title fight, when one man is hemmed on the ropes, absorbing blows. As you watch, you expect one jab to land on the target but, every so often, the storm blows out and danger disappears.
Perhaps if a towering header from Ryan Yates in the 22nd minute had been a fraction closer to Wood’s outstretched right leg, rather than skidding across the surface and clipping into the base of the post, Forest would have had the advantage they craved but it wasn’t to be in this period.
Wood had a catalogue of chances during the game and could have had plenty on Monday night
Eberechi Eze came closest for the travelling Eagles as he rattled the crossbar in the second half
Listening to every call from the energetic Glasner – who hopped and skipped and stamped in his bright, white trainers – Palace kept their composure and Eze was always looking to make himself an outlet, dropping deeper into midfield and rarely taking more than two or three touches.
Palace certainly had a sense of adventure of their own and there was more discomfort amongst the Garibaldi Reds when Eddie Nketiah cut in from the left, wriggling out of a couple of challenges, but his shot lacked the power or direction to unduly worry Sels.
Half-time did not break Palace’s momentum. Out they came for the second period bristling with ambition, making the kind of opportunities that should have put them out of sight: the more they pressed, the more the natives became restless and fretful.
Eze was like a Bonfire Night sparkler, shining with every movement, and he became involved in a personal duel with Sels just before the hour, one volley causing the goalkeeper to plunge low, one shot from 30 yards forcing a fingertip save from the Belgian.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side climbed to eighth while Oliver Glasner’s team remained in 18th
After Monday, Forest have now lost just once across their opening eight games on the season
In between that, a rapid counterattack from Nketiah, who had hit the woodwork earlier in the contest, ended with a pass to Will Hughes but the midfielder was thwarted as Alex Moreno hurled himself in front of the shot. They were not going to pass. And how significant that intervention was.
Wood went up the other end and plundered the decisive strike, Henderson’s howler exacerbated by the fact Sels would come up with another fabulous stop to deny substitute Jeffrey Schlupp. It simply wasn’t meant to be.
