Chelsea 1 Nottingham Forest 1: Blues made to rue missed chances after Ward-Prowse’s bonkers red card
FOR THE SECOND Premier League game in a row Chelsea had to come from behind.
But while Forest threw a large spanner into the works of the Blues’ goal machine, nothing can short fuse the electricity when Enzo Maresca’s team is in full flow.
Just like last weekend when Brighton were beaten 4-2 in a thriller, the spills and ills of this feisty young team took over to produce an absolute cracker of a climax that had everything.
Bust ups, brawls, brilliant saves and Chelsea head coach Maresca taking an unexpected flight into the air when clattered by one of his own defenders in the technical area.
Just three days ago Maresca talked of the quiet calm inside his camp and how he is unaffected by ‘noise’ that follows his club around.
That may be but he should try telling that to his players – and those of feisty Forest – who combined to produce an explosive ending to a game that started out as a Sunday afternoon kickabout.
Eleven bookings in all – including two for James Ward-Prowse that meant the visitors held on for 12 minutes of normal plus 13 of added time with ten men to claim a draw and stay unbeaten on the road this season.
Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo was also given a yellow card as the tension and temperature cranked up with two teams scrapping for a point in October as if Premier League survival depended on it in May.
Chris Wood and Noni Madueke scored the goals but what normally constitutes the pivotal act of a game became minor talking points.
Chelsea’s recent blistering run of five straight wins came to an end, as did the incredible scoring run of Cole Palmer. Four in the first half alone against Brighton.
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The club’s top four hopes took a minor dent and they will be fined £25,000 for the second time this season for picking up six bookings or more in one match. As they did at Bournemouth.
They will also have defenders Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella banned for their next league game after the international break – a trip to Liverpool.
Chelsea have also become the first team to have players banned for picking up five bookings this season as the testosterone rush of Maresca’s young squad took over from football discipline.
But anyone whose mortgage doesn’t depend on having 11 players available for a game will not be complaining.
From the moment Forest took the lead five minutes into the second half, the starting gun went off on a crazy fifty minutes.
The high point – if you like a punch up – was the full on scuffle triggered by Neco Williams pushing Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella as they tussled for a ball heading for the touchline.
The Spaniard was bundled into his boss who went a**e over t*t, prompting a furious reaction from Levi Colwill in particular.
More than a dozen players became embroiled in the heated shoving match with Chelsea Nicolas Jackson leaping from the dugout to get involved, having already been taken off.
In the melee, few even noticed Chelsea scorer Noni Madueke being helped from the pitch by one of the backroom staff as he hobbled off with injury.
How ref Chris Kavanagh maintained a sense of order is testament to his professionalism although Palmer wasn’t best pleased and confronted the officials at full time.
In injury time Forest keeper Matz Sels double-saved from Palmer and denied Malo Gusto AND Chris Nkunku.
Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez, guilty of a horrendous howler last week, saved one-handed from Jota Silva as Stamford Bridge erupted in excitement.
Ultimately, Chelsea failed to break down ten men of stubborn resistance who showed you can hold out against Maresca’s team if you are prepared to give everything.
Forest took the lead from a set-piece when Jackson pushed Ward-Prowse over in the centre circle.
The dead-ball specialist delivered a swinging cross into the box and Nikola Milenkovic provided the knockdown for Wood to poke the ball in.
Chelsea levelled seven minutes later when Madueke cut in from the right to score with his left. A probing shot across the face of goal into the opposite bottom corner.
And as the rejuvenated Blues pushed for a winner, Ward-Prowse, already booked for a foul on Palmer, took one for the team by diving onto and grabbing the ball as he tried to stop Jackson from breaking away.
Forest, experts at ‘game management’, sought to frustrate Chelsea and hold on, which caused frustration to rise.
And as if the Chelsea players weren’t battered enough during the shoving match in front of the dugouts they will be kicking themselves for not winning.
Palmer was desperately unlucky in the first half when he shot through the legs of Sels only for the ball to hit the foot of the post and rebound into the keeper’s grateful hands.