Nottingham Forest's profligacy in front of goal proved costly once again as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Ipswich Town at Portman Road, leaving their top-flight season in a troubling state.

Forest dominated the contest from start to finish, winning the shot count 17-7 and generating 2.31 expected goals — yet Neco Williams' first-half opener was all they had to show for an afternoon of sustained pressure.

Enciso strikes to level the contest

Williams' goal, which had given Forest the lead, was cancelled out just before half-time when Julio Enciso capitalised on a defensive error from Nikola Milenkovic to draw Ipswich level.

Leif Davis played his part in keeping Forest at bay, clearing off the line on two separate occasions, while Liam Delap and Callum Hudson-Odoi were both wasteful when opportunities presented themselves.

VAR controversy surrounds Diop challenge

The result was further soured for Forest by a contentious VAR decision. Ipswich defender Issa Diop escaped a red card after referee Thomas Bramall was directed to the pitchside monitor to review a challenge on James McAtee — a tackle widely seen as denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Bramall, however, opted for a yellow card, a call that sparked considerable anger among Forest's players and staff.

A damning run of form

The statistics paint a bleak picture for Forest. No side in the Premier League has underperformed their expected goals figures more severely this season — scoring just six times from chances worth 13.4 expected goals in total. That chronic wastefulness leaves them with a single victory from their opening eight league fixtures.

With the quality of chances being created, a turnaround in fortune will come only when Forest begin converting the opportunities they are manufacturing. Until that day arrives, frustrating draws and dropped points look set to define their campaign.