Noni Madueke’s equaliser earned Chelsea a point as they came from behind in a 1-1 draw with 10-man Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.
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Despite a late push by the dominant hosts, Forest held firm to continue their fine start in the Premier League against another top-four opponent.
After a tepid first half, Chris Wood poked the visitors ahead in the 49th minute, but that lead did not last long as Madueke fired Chelsea level just eight minutes later.
James Ward-Prowse was sent off for a second yellow card on 78 minutes, though neither side could find a winner in the fiery encounter despite a spate of late chances.
Chelsea, on 14 points, hold on to fourth place going into the international break, while Forest are four points further back in ninth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
7 | +11 | 18 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
7 | +9 | 17 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
7 | +9 | 17 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
7 | +8 | 14 |
| 5 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
7 | +3 | 14 |
How the match unfolded
The Blues dominated possession and chances in the opening stages, but struggled in front of goal, with Madueke going closest when he fired over from just outside the box 24 minutes in.
Murillo then unleashed a low, stinging shot straight at Robert Sanchez before giving possession away at the other end moments later, but Madueke could not capitalise.
The visitors took the lead shortly after the restart as Ward-Prowse’s free-kick was headed down in the box by Nikola Milenkovic and Wood stretched to direct his shot into the bottom corner.
Madueke provided the response in the 57th minute, cutting inside from the right of the box to fire low across goal into the far-bottom corner.
Having been booked for bringing down Cole Palmer in the first half, Ward-Prowse saw red on 78 minutes for an intentional handball which prevented Nicolas Jackson from getting in behind.
In a frantic 13 minutes of stoppage time, Neco Williams and Jota Silva forced Sanchez into strong saves, while Christopher Nkunku and Palmer also went close.
Palmer remains central to the hosts’ attack
Last time out in the Premier League, Palmer made history, scoring all four goals in Chelsea’s 4-2 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in a masterful individual display.
And the Englishman went closest for Chelsea in the first half on Sunday. After Madueke had forced the turnover from Murillo he raced to the byline before cutting back for Palmer.
The in-form forward got his shot on target, with the ball inches away from providing him with another attacking return before Matz Sels clawed it back from crossing the line completely.
It was then another contribution from Palmer which delivered Chelsea’s equaliser. The 22-year-old found space centrally just outside the box, and from there, he found Madueke, who finished the move.
He nearly provided the winner for Chelsea in the 87th minute, attempting to lob Sels from close range, before going close again in added time.
It was a rare occasion that Palmer, who has contributed to 10 of Chelsea’s 16 Premier League goals this season, could not find the back of the net and Chelsea suffered for it.
Forest continue to cause problems for top four
The visitors maintained their strong start to the season with another embattled display against a team at the top of the table.
The East Midlands outfit already delivered a shock victory against current league leaders Liverpool and, for eight minutes today, looked set to repeat the feat against the side sat in fourth.
Despite Chelsea’s dominance, Forest took the lead against the run of play at Stamford Bridge, just as they had to secure the winner at Anfield.
It was a set-piece delivered by Ward-Prowse from deep that Chelsea failed to deal with. Milenkovic rose highest at the back post, causing problems, but Wood got the telling touch to steer it into the bottom corner.
While they could not maintain the lead on this occasion, it was another impressive defensive display that kept them in the game against a barrage of Chelsea attacks in the latter stages, even when reduced to 10 men.
In fact, Forest could twice have regained the lead themselves as Silva’s header was millimetres from being out of reach of Sanchez’s outstretched hand.
Club reports
Chelsea report | Forest report
What the managers said
Enzo Maresca: "I think we deserved to win. They are a very good team and we knew they would defend well. It was a tough and tricky game, very different to Brighton. We were patient on the ball and created chances.
"Their keeper was the best of the game. We created chances and arrived at goal in the way we want to."
Nuno Espirito Santo: "The full game was a very good game with both teams trying. We played and created. The second half was very good for the spectators. We controlled the game well. There is no other way to play against big teams, if you don't unite then it's difficult."
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Match facts
Ten of Chris Wood’s last 14 goals for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League have been scored away from home (71.4 per cent), this comes after all of his first five goals for the club in the competition were scored at home.
Since his Premier League debut for Chelsea in September 2023, no player has provided more assists in the Premier League than Cole Palmer (16 – level with Bukayo Saka).
James Ward-Prowse’s red card for Nottingham Forest was his third in the Premier League in 385 matches, with two of those three red cards coming against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - October 2021 and today.
