Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson says his side can be satisfied with a point despite pushing to break down a stubborn Nottingham Forest side, and praised youngster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi for his performance.
“I think we can [be quite satisfied], especially losing [Cheick] Doucouré after yesterday’s training session and then Jeff Schlupp,” the manager told Sky Sports. “That’s two more senior players if you like that we were hoping would play in this game here.
“I thought that there were good moments in the game for both teams, actually. It swung a little bit. They had good spells, we had good spells. I think both teams were organised and determined not to give anything away.
“I think both defences were good when the ball came into their zone, but I think for us at the minute we have to look at it and be sanguine about it and work on the basis that it was always going to be a tough game, and we kept a clean sheet.
“It is another point. It wasn’t what we dream of because you always dream of winning your home games, but unfortunately you’ve always got an opponent in front of you, and they sometimes have other ideas.”
Rak-Sakyi came on for the injured Jeff Schlupp after just 25 minutes, and made a positive impact on the right-wing – crucially, both on and off the ball.
“I was delighted for him,” Hodgson said. “He came back from a very successful loan spell. There were a lot of clubs interested in taking him again.
“I had to fight with him a little bit to persuade him that if he really wants to be a Premier League player he is in the best place and chances will come, and today he got that chance and I think he took it extremely well.
“He didn’t just do well on the ball, he also did his defensive work. Of course when you’ve got wingers, talented wingers, that is one of the things you ask questions about: is he going to be good on the ball for those few moments he’s got it, but also what is he going to be like when we’re working hard to stop them doing something with it?”
Hodgson praised Forest for their defensive resilience, but pointed out that his side created chances to win the game.
“I think they did [challenge], especially towards the end of the game and we had to make more changes with another player suffering from cramp.
“Certainly the latter part of the first-half and up to the middle part of the second-half we weren’t pushed back particularly and we were trying to make use of the ball, but credit to them they defended that well, they didn’t offer us too many opportunities but I think we can say we didn’t offer them too many either.
“The chances that came up in the game were a little bit few and far between but there was some good football played in the meantime.”
