Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest: Blues forced to settle for a point

Chelsea’s search for a sixth consecutive win in all competitions was thwarted by the resolute 10 men of Nottingham Forest who refused to become the latest victims of Cole Palmer.

While a 1-1 scoreline may seem ordinary, this fixture was anything but, James Ward-Prowse’s second yellow card in the 78th minute sparking a period of frenzy football.

There was a mass melee after Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was wiped out when Neco Williams pushed Marc Cucurella into him. There were 13 minutes of stoppage time in which each team took turns attacking. There were saves that could simply be categorised as extraordinary.

First, Williams thought he had won it for Forest, only for Robert Sanchez to deny him. Then, Christopher Nkunku was somehow prevented by Matz Sels. Next, Jota Silva was stopped by Sanchez, arguably the best of the whole bunch.

And that was only the tip of the iceberg, there being so many more chances for Chelsea and Forest to win this contest, ‘Cold’ Palmer forever involved as you would expect.

But in the end, it finished all square, Noni Madueke’s equaliser cancelling out Chris Wood's opener.

There was a rumour circulating on Sunday morning that Palmer might be missing due to illness. Thankfully for Chelsea’s supporters, it was made up, their greatest talisman since Eden Hazard starting at No 10 here. 

After last week’s four-goal first-half haul against Brighton in the Premier League, Chelsea placed the shirt he wore up for auction. It sold to a punter in Singapore for £34,411 when the gavel fell, the proceedings going to the club’s charitable foundation.

It soon became clear after the game’s start that Forest were not here to gift Chelsea anywhere near as much space as Brighton, who often left their own half unmanned.

The visitors had faced the fewest shots on target in the Premier League this season, such is their organisation under Nuno Espirito Santo, and Chelsea continually saw their through-balls blocked by someone in red in what was a frustrating first half for Enzo Maresca.

The closest Chelsea came inside the opening 10 minutes was when Noni Madueke drove directly at Alex Moreno from the right-hand side, beating his man before dragging wide.

In the 24th minute, Madueke again moved inside from the right, this time sending a vicious curler narrowly beyond the top-left corner as Chelsea were looking reliant on scoring a screamer.

Though Forest were set up in a defensive shape, they created their own chances, Murillo orchestrating one all by himself when he intercepted Enzo Fernandez’s forward pass.

 Previously a player considered by Chelsea, the Brazilian drove for the opposition box, unleashing a 25-yard rocket that was too hot for Sanchez to handle as Chelsea’s goalkeeper pushed it wide.

There were supporters celebrating inside of Stamford Bridge before the break as they thought Chelsea had taken the lead, only for Chris Kavanagh to theatrically show the crowd that his watch had not buzzed. The move started with Murillo losing the ball to Madueke, who sprinted into the box before cutting the ball back. Palmer’s poke was helped on its way by Nicolas Jackson but it rolled into the post before Sels somehow squirmed it away from the goal-line.

Forest were disappointed when they failed to score themselves ahead of half-time, Levi Colwill producing a goal-saving block to prevent Ryan Yates from breaking the deadlock.

Yet the visitors took the lead in the 49th minute after a well-worked set-piece routine. Jackson had conceded a free-kick by the halfway line which Ward-Prowse sent into the box. The ball was headed on by Nikola Milenkovic and then toed in by Chris Wood for 1-0.

Chelsea set aside their frustration to earn their equaliser in the 57th minute. Adding another assist to his personal statistics, Palmer played a pass wide to Madueke, whose left-footed bender went through Murillo and Yates and beyond Sels for 1-1. Madueke celebrated by charging for Maresca, shouting something at his head coach, as if to say: ‘That’s why you start me.’

In the 71st minute, Ward-Prowse had his big chance – a central free-kick from 25 yards. The West Ham loanee had a long time to think it over, with Gibbs-White receiving treatment for several minutes after right foot injury following a crunching challenge from Malo Gusto.

When the time finally arrived, Ward-Prowse could only give Sanchez some catching practice, and it got worse for him in the 78th minute. He had already been cautioned for pulling back Palmer, and was shown a second yellow here for grabbing the ball to stop Jackson from breaking through on goal. It was entirely deserved, and Forest were down to 10 men.

After 87 minutes, Palmer thought he had won it but Sels produced a sensational double save. Yet there was no time to show the replays as within seconds, a mass melee unfolded after Williams pushed Cucurella into Maresca, forcing Chelsea’s head coach to fall.

Everyone was involved. Players. Coaches. Jackson ran from the substitutes’ bench to be at the centre of it all. Amid it all, Madueke was forced off the pitch, having picked up an injury.

Thirteen stoppage-time minutes were announced thereafter, prompting a gigantic roar from Chelsea’s fans. Joao Felix should have won it when a cross from his fellow substitute Pedro Neto found him. He headed wide, but the madness was nowhere near finished.

The frantic nature of this fixture was still to be summed up. First, Williams was denied sensationally by Sanchez when he only had the Chelsea goalkeeper to beat. Seconds later, after a Mykhailo Mudryk sprint up the left-hand side, Nkunku had a free header within six yards of goal. Sels came to Forest’s rescue.

Sanchez repeated those very heroics when the clock read 103 minutes, somehow getting a hand to Silva’s header to deny Forest. Their fans still celebrated wildly nonetheless, perfectly happy with the point they worked so hard to secure.