- Crystal Palace fans celebrate Nottingham Forest loss
- Tricky Trees beaten by Aston Villa
- Supporters feel justice has prevailed
Crystal Palace supporters weren’t just celebrating a first-ever European final last night as ‘karma’ came back to bite Nottingham Forest. The Eagles reached the UEFA Conference League final at Selhurst Park.
Another memorable night saw Oliver Glasner’s men beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 (5-2 on aggregate). They will face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final.
During the post-match festivities fans were given even more reason to celebrate. An announcement through the speakers read Forest’s 4-0 loss to Aston Villa in their Europa League semi-final.
Why Palace are Celebrating Forest’s Defeat
That result means Forest are now out of the Europa League and miss out on a first European final since 1980. For Palace, it felt like vindication given the events that unfolded last summer.
The Eagles won the FA Cup last season, rewarding them with a place in this season’s FA Cup. That was until Forest alerted UEFA to concerns that the South London outfit might be in breach of multi-club ownership rules.
Palace shareholder John Textor also owned the French club Lyon, which had also qualified for the Europa League. This led to UEFA ruling that Glasner’s men could not play in the competition and instead dropped down to the Conference League.
Forest took their place in the Europa League after ensuring they complied with the regulations. The Tricky Trees’ owner, Evangelos Marinakis, placed his shares into a blind trust before UEFA’s deadline, per The Guardian.
Palace will be pleased on reflection as they find themselves on the brink of winning a major European trophy. Meanwhile, Forest have spent the majority of the season in a relegation battle and will end it without a dream final.
‘A Win for Football’ – Fans on Forest Karma
Palace supporters couldn’t help but make light of the situation and made their feelings clear on X. Many feel justice prevailed after Villa beat Forest.
Read Crystal Palace writer and Lets Talk Palace co-host Henry Swain joked:
“Should’ve checked your emails boys, you were meant to be turning up tonight.”
Another fan added:
“For me, Notts Forest getting embarrassed in the Europa League & Palace getting the final in the Conference League is a win for football.”
One supporter wrote:
“In hindsight, I wonder if Forest’s tantrum last summer has come back to bite them? 12 months on and Palace are in the final of their competition, and will hopefully win in getting them in Europa next season after all, while Forest has been dumped out of theirs.”
This was echoed by another:
“The irony that Nottingham Forest went to court and took a competition they didn’t deserve to play in only to lose it and Crystal Palace to win a trophy again is comedy gold.”
One supporter even aimed a dig at rivals Brighton & Hove Albion:
“Palace going to Leipzig. Brighton at home watching. Forest checking emails. All I know is that Palace are on their way.”
One added:
“So Forest did all the crying about Crystal Palace just not to make final. Karma.”
Palace face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on May 27th. Meanwhile, Forest probably prepare for life without Elliot Anderson.
