Crystal Palace made their long-awaited return from the international break on Monday night as they travelled north to Nottingham Forest.
The Eagles were winless in the Premier League heading into the clash and needed to pick up points and build some confidence under Oliver Glasner.
While there were some moments of promise, a Dean Henderson error gave Nottingham Forest the lead through a Chris Wood strike.
Crystal Palace huffed and puffed but were unable to find a moment of magic to open the stern Forest defence and ultimately picked up another defeat.
While pressure is growing on the Palace boss, one of his changes to the side did impress; Will Hughes – though the midfielder didn’t have too many friends in the East Midlands on Monday night.
The reason Will Hughes was booed in Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace
While the City Ground wasn’t exactly rocking for the full 90 minutes on Monday night, fans would’ve certainly noticed the reception that Hughes was given during the game.
In moments during the clash, the midfielder was booed by certain sections of the crowd, while even larger shouts were made when he went to take corners in front of those in the stands.
The reason for that was due to the ties the 29-year-old has to Nottingham Forest through one of his former clubs.
Hughes came through the youth ranks at Derby County, making his way into their first team and featuring over 180 times for the Rams.
In that time, the midfielder took on their East Midlands rivals seven times, winning three times, drawing twice and losing twice – with one goal thrown into the mix.
It shows that some football fans simply don’t forget those club ties, even all those years on and many different clubs played for since.
- READ MORE: Oliver Glasner says two Crystal Palace stars are unlikely to play again until the end of November
Will Hughes impressed for Crystal Palace despite Nottingham Forest defeat
While Crystal Palace fell to defeat at the City Ground, Hughes was one of the standout performers for the side.
The midfielder may have felt unfortunate in being substituted in the second half after he started to dictate play with incisive passing.
The 29-year-old may be relied upon heavily in the weeks ahead, with injuries still impacting Adam Wharton and Cheick Doucoure.
With pressure mounting on Glasner to pick up points quickly, there will be some big moments for Hughes to contribute in.
