The Reds earned a point on New Year’s Day thanks to Serge Aurier’s excellent touch and control, as well as a half-volley nutmeg after Raheem Sterling profited on a rebound off the crossbar to put Chelsea ahead.
Nottingham Forest did not have the best run of form going up to the World Cup, but they have proven that they can compete with the best, defeating Liverpool and Tottenham as well as narrowly matching Potter’s Chelsea.
The Blues struggled in the second half, ceding the initiative to Forest, with only two shots on goal and an expected goal percentage of 0.26.
Chelsea move to eighth in the table, moving a point ahead of Brighton, and Forest remain in the relegation zone but moving up one place above Wolverhampton.
Dean Henderson (6/10): Made a couple of conventional saves near the first half’s conclusion, but didn’t have much involvement as Chelsea only managed two shots on target. When the ball fell for Sterling, he was caught off guard.
Serge Aurier (7.5/10): Delivered home a deserving equaliser using his chest and poked his half-volley through the legs of Kepa. However, he was often left overexposed in his position, allowing Chelsea to score in the first half.
Joe Worrall (7/10): Helped minimise Chelsea’s opportunities on goal, but should have done better to deny the cross that led to Sterling’s goal.
Willy Boly (8.5/10): Used his height to deliver the ball down for Aurier to smash a half-volley to equalise, but was unlucky to miss the chip for Sterling’s goal.
Renan Lodi (7/10): Like the majority of his teammates, he improved after the break. He did well to be attacking in Chelsea’s half, as Forest dominated the visitors.
Remo Freuler (7.5/10): Had struggled to make an impact in the first 45 minutes, but contributed to a strong second half. Ensured that the visitors saw less of the ball after the end of the first half.
Orel Mangala (6/10): As Forest improved in the second half when they lifted the tempo, Mangala provided some slick and accurate passes.
Ryan Yates (6.5/10): Earned his 150th appearance for Forest, and put in a solid shift in the middle of the park. He used his aggression and passion to halt Chelsea’s attacking threat.
Brennan Johnson (7/10): Had an early chance in the 10th minute when he was sent through on goal by Gibbs-White but was kept out by the Chelsea keeper. Continued to threaten the visitor’s back line, and fired two more unsuccessful attempts on goal.
Morgan Gibbs-White (8/10): The driving force for Forest. He came in place of Jesse Lingard and provided a significant boost to the matchday squad. He was brilliant in the number 10 role, supplying through balls to his forwards and was unlucky not to score a screamer.
Taiwo Awoniyi (7.5/10): With his strength and several tremendous runs, he caused havoc for Chelsea, and provided some good attacking threats.
Leave a Reply