Ipswich fight back to draw with Forest as O’Neil praises resilience
Julio Enciso cancelled out Neco Williams’s opener at Portman Road, leaving Nottingham Forest with one win from eight Premier League matches.
Ipswich Town came from behind to draw 1-1 with Nottingham Forest at Portman Road on 23 October 2026, as Julio Enciso answered Neco Williams’s opener in their Premier League meeting. Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil praised his side’s resilience after a point that left Forest with one win from eight matches.
Williams gave Forest the lead after Daniel Muñoz crossed from an overlap, arriving unmarked to finish past Christian Walton. Ipswich then pressed for an equaliser: Jaden Philogene forced a save from Matz Sels before Enciso also tested the Forest goalkeeper, according to The Guardian’s match report.
Enciso levelled after Jair Cunha lost possession as he moved forward. Dara O’Shea’s clearance was poorly handled by Nikola Milenkovic, whose weak back-pass gave Enciso the chance to finish. Both goals came in the first half of a match played in heavy rain and wind.
O’Neil on how Ipswich earned the point
O’Neil said Ipswich were ‘never quite good enough with the ball to turn it into a football match,’ The Guardian reported. ‘We had to show another side to get something,’ he said, adding that Ipswich could find themselves ‘fighting for scraps’ if they expected to dominate every game. BBC Sport described his post-match assessment as praise for the team’s ability to ‘dig in and fight.’
Forest created opportunities to win after the interval. Murillo missed a free header from a corner, while Callum Hudson-Odoi dragged a late effort beyond the far post after finding space during added time, The Guardian reported. Forest had six points from eight league games after the draw.
Forest dispute Diop decision
A challenge by Ipswich defender Issa Diop on James McAtee also drew disagreement. Diop was shown a yellow card; The Guardian reported that the video assistant referee judged McAtee to have lost possession through a heavy touch before the collision. Diop said Leif Davis was covering and that he did not think the incident merited a red card. O’Neil backed the decision, while Forest manager Oliver Glasner said it ‘felt like it was a red card.’
Glasner said the result did not reflect Forest’s performance and that he was still waiting for the team to ‘click.’ He praised the players’ togetherness but was disappointed by the outcome. Forest entered the match as the division’s lowest scorers, according to The Guardian, and Williams’s goal did not lead to a second despite their chances.
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Sources and context
- ‘We had to scrap’ - O’Neil praises Ipswich resilience after Forest drawBBC Sport
- Enciso rescues point in storm for Ipswich to deny Nottingham ForestThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.