Nottingham’s players were close to another sensational result in the seventh round of the Premier League. Just three weeks after sacking Anfield Road for the only time this season, they reached for a Chris Wood goal to win at Chelsea. However, the home team reacted to the shot of the tall New Zealander and, thanks to the intervention of Noni Madueke, managed to get at least a 1:1 draw from the duel. Nevertheless, after the final whistle, there was frustration at the London Stadium as the visitors played without the suspended James Ward-Prows from the 78th minute.
The home side went into the match high on confidence having won five consecutive matches across all competitions. Forest, who proved to be a tough nut to crack, stood in the way of their sixth win. The calm start to the match at Stamford Bridge was therefore not surprising. Madueke was the first to try his luck, sending his curling shot just wide of the top left corner.
However, the end of the first half brought more interesting moments. After dominating possession, the Blues almost took the lead when Madueke broke into the penalty area and passed the ball to Cole Palmer, who also finished, but Mats Sels cleared the ball on the goal line. Chelsea, on the other hand, had Wesley Fofan to thank for a perfect block to prevent Ryan Yates from opening the scoring.
However, Nuno Espírito Santo didn’t have to wait long for his charges to break through with a goal. Free-kick specialist Ward-Prowse found Nikola Milenkovic, who headed the ball to the sliding Wood, who headed it in at the far post. Fortunately for the home fans, that lead lasted just seven minutes as Chelsea’s biggest goal threat all afternoon, Madueke, found a recipe for Forest’s defense as he slotted a low shot into the bottom corner from the right.
With less than 15 minutes to go, Ward-Prowse was sent off for a second yellow card when he unsportingly prevented Nicolas Jackson’s clearance. Sels then made a number of excellent saves, which could have been doubly regrettable for the home players, but the guests did not use either of the two big chances.
Despite being outnumbered, Chelsea failed to pick up three points, meaning Espírita Santa’s side still occupy the top half of the table as they sit in ninth place. The Blues, meanwhile, remain in the top four.
