Advertisement

Madueke rescues Chelsea in draw with 10-man Forest

football06 October 2024 15:20
Share

Noni Madueke's equaliser rescued Chelsea in a 1-1 draw against 10-man Nottingham Forest that ended the Blues' five-match winning run on Sunday.

Enzo Maresca's side fell behind to Chris Wood's strike early in the second half at Stamford Bridge.

England winger Madueke hauled Chelsea level but the hosts couldn't find a winner despite their numerical advantage in the closing stages.

Forest had to play the last 12 minutes with 10 men after James Ward-Prowse was sent off.

Chelsea had won their previous three league games – and five in all competitions – to raise hopes that Maresca is the man to lift the west Londoners out of their long malaise.

Being held by Forest was a setback but Chelsea still go into the international break in fourth place in the Premier League.

Maresca insists Chelsea are not ready to compete with Manchester City and Arsenal for the title, but they have established themselves as candidates for a top four finish.

The Italian demonstrated Chelsea's enviable strength in depth by fielding an entirely changed starting line-up for Thursday's 4-2 Europa Conference League win over Gent.

Once again, he made a host of changes but with less success this time.

Chelsea played songs picked by each of their players over the stadium tannoy before kick-off as part of the club's attempt to enhance the matchday experience.

CHELSEA OUT OF TUNE

Joao Felix selected Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Jadon Sancho opted for "Too Fast" by Future.

But for long periods on a drab afternoon in west London, Chelsea's stars were distinctly out of tune.

Chelsea were fortunate not to fall behind when Murillo's stinging shot was palmed away by Robert Sanchez.

It took Maresca's men until three minutes before halftime before they finally tested Forest keeper Matz Sels.

Madueke's effort was pushed away by Sels, who scrambled to his feet to save Enzo Fernandez's shot from the rebound.

Sels repelled Cole Palmer's low shot moments later, alertly grabbing the loose ball before it could roll over the line.

But Chelsea's flurry of jabs late in the first half were followed by a smack in the mouth just four minutes after the interval.

Nikola Milenkovic flicked a Forest free-kick towards Wood and the New Zealand striker prodded home from close-range for his fourth goal this season.

Elliot Anderson forced Sanchez to make a good save as Chelsea staggered on the ropes.

The Blues punched back in the 57th minute, with Madueke surging onto Palmer's pass in the Forest area before planting a fine finish past Sels.

Madueke should have completed Chelsea's comeback when Sancho's pass found the winger in space, but his shot blazed over.

Already on a booking, Ward-Prowse's despairing grab on Nicolas Jackson triggered his 78th minute red card, but crucially it stopped the Senegal striker from snatching the winner.

Palmer was twice denied by Sels in the closing minutes and Felix squandered a golden opportunity in 13 minutes of stoppage-time, heading wide from Pedro Neto's cross.

Sanchez kept out Neco Williams' effort before Sels denied Christopher Nkunku in a tense finale that left Chelsea frustrated.

Enzo Maresca's side fell behind to Chris Wood's strike early in the second half at Stamford Bridge.

England winger Madueke hauled Chelsea level but the hosts couldn't find a winner despite their numerical advantage in the closing stages.

Forest had to play the last 12 minutes with 10 men after James Ward-Prowse was sent off.

Chelsea had won their previous three league games – and five in all competitions – to raise hopes that Maresca is the man to lift the west Londoners out of their long malaise.

Being held by Forest was a setback but Chelsea still go into the international break in fourth place in the Premier League.

Maresca insists Chelsea are not ready to compete with Manchester City and Arsenal for the title, but they have established themselves as candidates for a top four finish.

The Italian demonstrated Chelsea's enviable strength in depth by fielding an entirely changed starting line-up for Thursday's 4-2 Europa Conference League win over Gent.

Once again, he made a host of changes but with less success this time.

Chelsea played songs picked by each of their players over the stadium tannoy before kick-off as part of the club's attempt to enhance the matchday experience.

- Chelsea out of tune -

Joao Felix selected Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Jadon Sancho opted for "Too Fast" by Future.

But for long periods on a drab afternoon in west London, Chelsea's stars were distinctly out of tune.

Chelsea were fortunate not to fall behind when Murillo's stinging shot was palmed away by Robert Sanchez.

It took Maresca's men until three minutes before halftime before they finally tested Forest keeper Matz Sels.

Madueke's effort was pushed away by Sels, who scrambled to his feet to save Enzo Fernandez's shot from the rebound.

Sels repelled Cole Palmer's low shot moments later, alertly grabbing the loose ball before it could roll over the line.

But Chelsea's flurry of jabs late in the first half were followed by a smack in the mouth just four minutes after the interval.

Nikola Milenkovic flicked a Forest free-kick towards Wood and the New Zealand striker prodded home from close-range for his fourth goal this season.

Elliot Anderson forced Sanchez to make a good save as Chelsea staggered on the ropes.

The Blues punched back in the 57th minute, with Madueke surging onto Palmer's pass in the Forest area before planting a fine finish past Sels.

Madueke should have completed Chelsea's comeback when Sancho's pass found the winger in space, but his shot blazed over.

Already on a booking, Ward-Prowse's despairing grab on Nicolas Jackson triggered his 78th minute red card, but crucially it stopped the Senegal striker from snatching the winner.

Palmer was twice denied by Sels in the closing minutes and Felix squandered a golden opportunity in 13 minutes of stoppage-time, heading wide from Pedro Neto's cross.

Sanchez kept out Neco Williams' effort before Sels denied Christopher Nkunku in a tense finale that left Chelsea frustrated.

Match Facts

Only Frank Clark (59) has picked up more away points as manager of Nottingham Forest in the Premier League than Nuno Espírito Santo. Forest’s draw today takes Nuno’s away points total with the Tricky Trees to 19 (P14 W5 D4 L5), one more than Brian Clough managed in the competition for the club (18).

10 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.

Only Bryan Roy (24) and Stan Collymore (22) have scored more Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest than Chris Wood (19), while Wood’s 10 away goals in the competition is the joint-most of any player for the Tricky Trees along with Bryan Roy (10).

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer created 6 chances today against Nottingham Forest, only creating more in the Premier League on one previous occasion - 8 v Manchester United in April 2024. Today is the fifth time that Palmer has created 5+ chances in a Premier League match.

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 & today.

Chelsea attempted nine shots in the first half against Nottingham Forest without scoring a goal, which is the most they’ve managed in the first half of a Premier League home match without finding the net since October 2023, when they recorded 10 shots against Brentford.

Advertisement