Chelsea winning streak in the Premier League was halted by 10-man Nottingham Forest, who fought to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, maintaining their own strong start to the season.
Chelsea Hunt for a Fourth Consecutive Win
Enzo Maresca’s team was aiming for their fourth consecutive victory to secure their spot in the top four. They needed a fantastic solo equalizer from Noni Madueke to nullify Chris Wood’s early second-half goal.
Chelsea continued to press the visitors and seemed poised to win when James Ward-Prowse was sent off for handball as Nicolas Jackson threatened to break through on goal.
Forest’s Resilience in Injury Time
Forest, who also saw England forward Morgan Gibbs-White sidelined with an injury, managed to withstand a hectic 13 minutes of added time. Both goalkeepers, Robert Sanchez and Matz Sels, made incredible saves, allowing Forest to secure a draw.
Maresca’s second-string team had outclassed Gent in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. However, as has been the custom this season, all eleven players were dropped to make way for what the head coach clearly considers to be his strongest side.
Quiet Start and Late First-Half Drama
Madueke returned to the right wing and came close to scoring the best chance in the quiet opening 25 minutes, but fired over from the edge of the box.
In the final 5 minutes of the half, the game came to life. First, Sanchez was called on to beat away a powerful shot from Forest’s Murillo. Then, Cole Palmer hit the post with a shot that deflected off Aina and passed through three defenders before landing in the arms of Sels.
Key First-Half Chance for Ryan Yates
The best opportunity of the first half arguably came to Ryan Yates. He would have put Nottingham Forest in the lead just before halftime, but Levi Colwill managed to deflect his shot from 12 yards over the crossbar with a well-timed leg interception.
It had been a disciplined first half from Forest, but their goal came unexpectedly. Jackson tried to run past Forest’s last man, Ward-Prowse ended up fouling him.
Ward-Prowse took the free-kick from deep, and Nikola Milenkovic peeled away from Malo Gusto to nod the ball back into the center. As the ball dropped in the six-yard box, Wood darted in front of Moises Caicedo and flicked it beyond Sanchez’s reach.
Madueke’s Equalizer Sparks Chelsea Comeback
Forest’s lead only lasted for eight minutes. Madueke, who hadn’t scored in the league since hitting a hat-trick against Wolves in August, drew Chelsea level with precision. He collected Palmer’s pass, cut inside, and sent a shot inside the far post behind the unsighted Sels.
Forest lost Gibbs-White to injury. The England forward went off in the second half after a strong but fair challenge from Gusto. Their task became even harder with Ward-Prowse’s dismissal.
Late-Game Tension and Spectacular Saves
Sels made an excellent double save from Palmer before tensions escalated into a brawl involving almost all 22 players and substitutes when Neco Williams pushed Marc Cucurella off the pitch.
Exciting Injury Time and Missed Chances
Joao Felix missed a header from Pedro Neto’s cross at the beginning of an exciting added period. Maresca looked at his bench, then Sanchez made a brilliant save from Williams at the other end.
Sels once again emerged as Forest’s saviour as he dove to deflect Christopher Nkunku’s powerful header, while Sanchez possibly outperformed him with a save of his own from Jota Silva.
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