Julio Enciso's first-half equaliser rescued a point for Ipswich Town as Nottingham Forest were made to settle for a 1-1 draw at Portman Road on Friday night, despite taking an early lead through Neco Williams.
Forest struck first and looked in control, but Enciso levelled four minutes before half-time and neither side could find a winner, even as Ipswich survived a major VAR scare when Issa Diop escaped a red card.
Williams Punishes Ipswich Early
Oliver Glasner's side arrived in Suffolk on a run of three straight Premier League defeats, but they started like a team determined to end it. Their reward came in the 13th minute, when Daniel Muñoz created the opening on the right and Neco Williams finished to put Forest 1-0 ahead and silence Portman Road.
It was no more than the visitors deserved for a sharper start. With captain Morgan Gibbs-White back in the side after missing the defeat to Arsenal, as our pre-match team news reported, Forest moved the ball with more conviction and pinned Ipswich back for long spells. Liam Delap, back at the ground where he made his Premier League name, led the line against his former club.
Ipswich, by contrast, were sloppy. Gary O'Neil's team gave the ball away cheaply and struggled for rhythm, with Jaden Philogene and Abdul Fatawu starved of service. Yet for all Forest's control, they failed to land a second blow — and that failure came back to haunt them.
Enciso Levels After Forest Error
The equaliser arrived in the 41st minute and it was a gift Forest could not afford to give. A misplaced back pass from Nikola Milenković let Julio Enciso race through, and the Paraguayan kept his composure to finish right-footed past Matz Sels for 1-1. It was a moment of ruthlessness from Ipswich's £26m summer signing, who had barely had a kick in the game before he punished the one mistake that mattered.
The goal transformed the mood inside Portman Road. Ipswich finished the half on the front foot and went in level when, on the balance of the first 40 minutes, they had little right to be. Forest were left to reflect on a familiar problem: plenty of territory and intent, but not enough goals to show for it — and a one-goal lead was never likely to be a safe one.
You can follow the full timeline of the game on Sky Sports' match centre.
Diop Escapes Red as Forest Turn the Screw
The game's biggest talking point came four minutes after the restart. Issa Diop brought down James McAtee on the edge of the area as the Forest man threatened to break clear as the last man, and Portman Road held its breath through a lengthy VAR review. Forest fans waited for a red card that never came: Diop was booked instead and stayed on the pitch, to the obvious frustration of the visiting bench.
From there, Forest dominated the ball and the chances. The final numbers told the story of the second half: Forest outshot Ipswich 17 to seven, led five to three in efforts on target and forced five corners to the home side's none. Murillo was also booked as the visitors' frustration grew, while Glasner sent on Callum Hudson-Odoi and, deep in stoppage time, Chris Wood for Delap in search of a winner.
Ipswich defended their box with increasing desperation and Christian Walton stood firm when called upon. There was concern for Forest late on, too, as goalscorer Williams was replaced by Luca Netz six minutes from time. Enciso's work was also done by then, the equaliser's author withdrawn for Chuba Akpom to a warm ovation in the 86th minute.
So What Does It Mean?
The draw moves Ipswich on to 10 points from eight matches (three wins, one draw, four defeats) and keeps Gary O'Neil's promoted side in mid-table for now — but a home game against a team in the relegation zone was one they will feel they should have won, especially after riding their luck with the Diop decision. Next up is a trip to Hull City on Saturday 31 October, where a result would strengthen their encouraging start.
For Forest, the point ends a three-match losing run but stretches their winless sequence to four, with just one victory from eight all season. They move to six points and remain in the relegation zone, and the pressure on Oliver Glasner does not lift with results like this — his side did enough to win and still came away with a draw. A difficult trip to Brentford on 31 October is next. Their last outing, a 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal, showed the same pattern: competitive, organised, and beaten by fine margins.
Beyond the Final Whistle verdict: This was two points dropped for Forest and one gained for Ipswich. Glasner's side led, controlled the second half and saw a red card somehow stay in the referee's pocket, yet still could not win — and teams that cannot close out games like this usually end up exactly where Forest are now, in the bottom three. Enciso's clinical finish papered over a poor Ipswich display, but O'Neil will take the point. Did Diop deserve to be sent off, and are Forest already in a relegation fight they cannot escape? Have your say in the comments.
