Chelsea were held to a draw by a dogged Nottingham Forest on Sunday as Noni Madueke’s strike earned the Blues a point.
Chris Wood’s scrambled finish had put Nuni Espirito Santo’s side ahead early in the second half, but Madueke leveled for the hosts before James Ward-Prowse was sent off for two bookable offences.
Chelsea tried to make the player advantage count but could not, ending their five-match winning streak in all competitions.
How the game developed
Much changed from the Europa League win against Gent on Thursday, Chelsea started decently with Noni Madueke often out-maneuvering Alex Moreno but without any substantial end product to complement his sharp dribbling.
Instead, Forest, who had lost just one of their six league games before kick-off, restricted the Blues’ creativity and gave them little time on the ball, with Cole Palmer on the sidelines for much of the game. first half
A pair of yellow cards were handed out to Moises Caicedo and James Ward-Prowse before the first real piece of goal-scoring action. Murillo moved forward and made space for a thunderous shot, but it was central enough for Robert Sánchez to reach.
The first 45 minutes were largely monotonous, but at least they recovered before the referee’s half-time whistle. Madueke again got to the byline and found Palmer but the ball clipped his toes and through the scrum of players to hit the post.
forest had executed Nuno Espirito Santo’s game plan to perfection before starting the second half with a bang.
James Ward-Prowse’s dead ball was flicked on by Nikola Milenkovic and Wood was in the perfect place to power past Robert Sanchez to put the visitors ahead. Suddenly, the gauntlet had been thrown to Chelsea, who had not lost in the Premier League since the defeat on the first day against Manchester City.
Santo’s side went close again soon after, with Elliot Anderson heading straight at Sanchez in the box. They appeared to be looking for a second goal, but Chelsea found space to equalize before the hour mark.
Madueke had been difficult to contain all game and finally put it all together to drag his side level, collecting Palmer’s pass and finding the far corner after cutting inside.
The game swung firmly in Chelsea’s favor for the last 12 minutes of normal time when Ward-Prowse saw red. The former West Ham United midfielder was caught in possession and had to use his hands to prevent a Chelsea breakaway, resulting in a second booking.
That gave the Blues the lead, but Forest still proved difficult to break down, with goalkeeper Matz Sels leaping like a cat to deny Palmer twice in the space of seconds.
13 minutes of second-half stoppage time made Chelsea favorites to take the points in the end and substitute Joao Felix went closest, planting a golden chance wide with an inaccurate header .
Two more chances came quickly as Neco Williams broke into the box and brought Sanchez into action. Mykhailo Mudryk ran straight down the other end and picked out Christopher Nkunku perfectly, but the Frenchman headed too centrally as Sels made the save.
Forest may have reduced all points when Jota Silva headed home, but Sanchez jumped off his line to head in behind for a corner. That set piece came to nothing as Forest maintained their unbeaten away record as they ended Chelsea’s winning streak.
GK: Robert Sanchez – 8/10 – He made a couple of stops that I would expect to get. He read the match well and faced Gibbs-White as a sweeper. He made some impressive stops in stoppage time to win Chelsea a point
RB: Bad Taste – 6/10 – In the points, a quality cross from outside was missing. He didn’t have to worry about Anderson at the back, but Hudson-Odoi tried a little harder.
CB: Wesley Fofana – 6/10 – A bit exposed in the air but won most of his headers and often had the pace to get to loose balls.
CB: Levi Colwill – 7/10 – He was Chelsea’s most outstanding defender, dashing to make interceptions and clear the danger.
LB: Marc Cucurella – 6/10 – He showed strength in some one-on-one duels and was booked during a late scuffle between the teams.
CM: Moises Caicedo – 6/10 – He received a yellow card after a rough play in midfield. He struggled to control the tempo of the game.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 5/10 – He played simple passes, but also misplaced a few too easy ones and couldn’t contribute much to the defense.
RW: Ara Madueke – 8/10 – He had Moreno on toast for the first half, but he couldn’t find a shot or an accurate cross. He dragged Chelsea level with a solid finish after drifting upfield and was his side’s most dangerous outing all game.
AM: Cole Palmer – 7/10 – He closed down quickly for most of the game, but still found enough space to get an assist.
LW: Jadon Sancho – 6/10 – He came alive towards the end of the first half and was involved in some threatening exchanges.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – 5/10 – He had few chances to shoot at goal and cut a frustrated figure for much of the game.
Substitutes
SUB: Christopher Nkunku (81′ for Jackson) – 5/10
SUB: Joao Felix (81′ for Fernandez) – 5/10
SUB: Mykhailo Mudryk (90′ for Madueke) – 6/10
SUB: Pedro Neto (90′ for Sancho) – 5/10
SUB: Tosin Adarabioyo (90′ for Colwill) – 5/10
Subs not used: Filip Jorgensen (GK), Axel Disasi, Renato Veiga, Romeo Lavia.
manager
Enzo Maresca – 5/10 – He saw the natural rhythm of his side interrupted by a Forest side trying to make things difficult. Could not find the answer in the block below.
GK: Matz Sels – 7/10 – He was called into action regularly in the closing stages and made a strong double stop to deny Palmer. He was instrumental after Ward-Prowse’s red card, keeping Chelsea’s bombardment at bay.
RB: Ola Aina – 6/10 – Had a fun duel with Sancho and held up well enough.
CB: Nikola Milenkovic – 7/10 – He had a vital strike to set up Wood’s first goal and won most of his defensive duels.
CB: Murillo – 7/10 – He showed great ambition as he pushed forward and powered an effort on goal that had to be saved.
LB: Alex Moreno – 5/10 – He struggled a lot against Madueke, he was constantly beaten for off-pace. At least he was getting the ball back often.
CM: Ryan Yates – 5/10 – He slowed things down and frustrated Chelsea with some dark arts.
CM: James Ward-Prowse – 3/10 – His free-kick put Wood ahead for Forest. He struggled in open play and was sent off for a second yellow card after comically handling the ball while lying on the ground.
RW: Callum Hudson-Odoi – 5/10 – He was stopped fairly easily in a few duels with Marc Cucurella before switching sides in the second half.
AM: Morgan Gibbs-White – 6/10 – He had moments where he looked dangerous on the break but couldn’t find the final ball. He had to go out with an injury.
LW: Elliot Anderson – 5/10 – Had a decent shot after Forest went ahead but was largely limited to defensive work which he carried out well.
ST: Chris Wood – 7/10 – He showed his poacher’s instincts by getting on the end of a set piece.
Substitutes
SUB: Jota Silva (66′ for Anderson) – 5/10
SUB: Nicolas DomÃnguez (76′ for Gibbs-White) – 4/10
SUB: Neco Williams (82′ for Moreno) – 5/10
SUB: Anthony Garden (82′ for Hudson-Odoi) – 5/10
SUB: Morato (82′ for Wood) – 5/10
Unused substitutes: Carlos Miguel (GK), Willy Boly, Ramon Sosa, Taiwo Awoniyi.
manager
Nuno Espirito Santo – 8/10 – Forest executed their manager’s game plan to perfection, giving Chelsea no space before Ward-Prowse’s dismissal. They were resilient and deserved a point.
