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 brought the hosts level before James Ward-Prowse was sent off for two bookable offences.
Chelsea tried to make the player advantage count but couldn’t, bringing their run of five straight wins in all competitions to an end.
How the game unfolded
Much-changed from the Europa League win against Gent on Thursday, Chelsea made a decent start with Noni Madueke often getting the better of Alex Moreno but lacking any substantial end product to complement his sharp dribbling.
Instead Forest, who had lost only one of their six league games prior to kick-off, restricted the Blues’ creativity and gave them little time on the ball, with Cole Palmer on the periphary of events for much of the first half.
A couple of yellow cards were dished out to Moises Caicedo and James Ward-Prowse before the first real piece of goalmouth action. Murillo strode forward and made space for a thunderous shot, but it was central enough for Robert Sanchez to parry it away to safety.
The first 45 minutes were largely drab but did at least pick up before the referee’s half-time whistle. Madueke once again got to the byline and found Palmer, but the ball was nipped off his toes and through the scramble of players to hit the post.
Forest had executed Nuno Espirito Santo’s away day gameplan to perfection before starting the second half with a bang.
James Ward-Prowse’s dead-ball delivery was flicked on by Nikola Milenkovic and Wood was in the perfect place to prod beyond Robert Sanchez and put the visitors ahead. Suddenly the gauntlet had been thrown down to Chelsea, who had not lost in the Premier League since an opening-day defeat to Manchester City.
Santo’s side went close again soon after, with Elliot Anderson shooting straight at Sanchez in the box. It looked like they were hunting a second goal, but instead Chelsea found space to equalise before the hour mark.
Madueke had been difficult to contain all game and finally put it all together to drag his team level, collecting Palmer’s pass and finding the far corner after cutting inside.
The match swung firmly in Chelsea’s favour for the final 12 minutes of normal time when Ward-Prowse saw red. The former West Ham United midfielder was caught floundering in possession and had to use his hands to prevent a Chelsea breakaway, resulting in a second booking.
That gave the Blues an advantage but Forest still proved a tough nut to crack, with goalkeeper Matz Sels leaping like a cat to deny Palmer twice in the space of a few seconds.
13 minutes of second-half stoppage time made Chelsea favourites to claim the points late on and substitute Joao Felix came closest first, planting a golden opportunity wide with an inaccurate header.
Two more chances arrived quickly as Neco Williams wriggled into the box and brought Sanchez into action. Mykhailo Mudryk ran straight up the other end and picked out Christopher Nkunku perfectly, but the Frenchman headed too centrally as Sels made the save.
Forest may well have nicked all the points when Jota Silva flicked a header goalwards, but Sanchez sprung across his line to tip in behind for a corner. That set piece came to nothing as Forest preserved their unbeaten record away from home while bringing Chelsea’s run of victories to an end.
GK: Robert Sanchez – 8/10 – Made a couple of saves he’d expect to pull off. Read the game well and tackled Gibbs-White as a sweeper. Made some stunning stops in stoppage time to earn Chelsea a point.
RB: Malo Gusto – 6/10 – Quality crossing from out wide was lacking at points. Didn’t have to worry about Anderson in behind but was tested a little more by Hudson-Odoi.
CB: Wesley Fofana – 6/10 – A little bit exposed in the air but won most of his headers and often had pace to reach loose balls.
CB: Levi Colwill – 7/10 – Was Chelsea’s standout defender, nipping in to make interceptions and clearing danger.
LB: Marc Cucurella – 6/10 – Showed strength in some one-on-one duels and was booked during a late melee between the squads.
CM: Moises Caicedo – 6/10 – Picked up a yellow after some rugged midfield play. Struggled to control the pace of the game.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 5/10 – Played simple passes but also misplaced a few too many easy ones and couldn’t contribute much in defence.
RW: Noni Madueke – 8/10 – Had Moreno on toast for the first half but couldn’t find an accurate shot or cross. Dragged Chelsea level with a solid finish after drifting infield and was his side’s most dangerous outlet all game.
AM: Cole Palmer – 7/10 – Was closed down pretty quickly for most of the match but still found enough space to get an assist.
LW: Jadon Sancho – 6/10 – Came alive towards the end of the first half and was involved in some threatening interchanges.
ST: Nicolas Jackson – 5/10 – Had few opportunities 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 – Saw his side’s natural rhyhym disrupted by a Forest side intent on making things difficult. Couldn’t find the answer to the low block.
GK: Matz Sels – 7/10 – Was called into action regularly during the final stages and made a sharp double save to deny Palmer. Was pivotal after Ward-Prowse’s red card, keeping out Chelsea’s barrage.
RB: Ola Aina – 6/10 – Had a fun duel with Sancho and held up well enough.
CB: Nikola Milenkovic – 7/10 – Got a vital flick to set up Wood’s opener and won the majority of his defensive duels.
CB: Murillo – 7/10 – Showed great ambition as he strode forward and powered an effort on goal that needed saving.
LB: Alex Moreno – 5/10 – Had a lot of difficulty dealing with Madueke, constantly being beaten for pace out wide. Did at least recover the ball frequently.
CM: Ryan Yates – 5/10 – Slowed things down and frustrated Chelsea with some dark arts.
CM: James Ward-Prowse – 3/10 – His free kick resulting in Wood putting Forest ahead. Struggled in open play and was sent off for a second yellow card after comically handling the ball while sprawled on the floor.
RW: Callum Hudson-Odoi – 5/10 – Was stopped quite easily in some duels with Marc Cucurella before swapping flanks in the second half.
AM: Morgan Gibbs-White – 6/10 – Had moments when he looked dangerous on the break but failed to find the final ball. Had to come off with an injury.
LW: Elliot Anderson – 5/10 – Did get one decent shot away after Forest went ahead but was largely restricted to defensive work which he carried out well.
ST: Chris Wood – 7/10 – 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 Dominguez (76′ for Gibbs-White) – 4/10
SUB: Neco Williams (82′ for Moreno) – 5/10
SUB: Anthony Elanga (82′ for Hudson-Odoi) – 5/10
SUB: Morato (82′ for Wood) – 5/10
Subs not used: Carlos Miguel (GK), Willy Boly, Ramon Sosa, Taiwo Awoniyi.
Manager
Nuno Espirito Santo – 8/10 – Forest executed their manager’s gameplan to perfection, not giving Chelsea any space before Ward-Prowse’s dismissal. They were resilient and deserved a point.
