Today, Chelsea entered a forest so dark and deep that the Blues could not find the exit after 103 minutes of football. After “stealing” three points from Liverpool’s Anfield, Nottingham outsmarted Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as well and grabbed a well-deserved point – 1-1. Enzo Maresca’s crew’s motivation and energy were very low from the start, and the first half was relatively uninteresting and almost without chances. The punishment for such an uncreative display came in the 50th minute through Chris Wood’s goal. Chelsea did equalize seven minutes later, but that was all the Blues managed to do today. The only ones worthy of praise in the home team were Noni Madueke – the scorer of the leveller – and the keeper Robert Sanchez, who, in the end, saved his team from losing with a man up.Nottingham Forest continue to be Chelsea’s bogey team 🌳❌The Blues have drawn three of their five games since Forest’s return to the Premier League in 2022 👀 #PL | #CHENFO pic.twitter.com/D3uKqC4fNE— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) October 6, 2024 Chelsea’s form had improved considerably in the previous period, so the Blues fans were pretty optimistic ahead of the duel with Nottingham Forest, even though the Trees’ recent triumph at Anfield was a proper warning. Still, Enzo Maresca and his men wanted another home win to keep the distance from first-placed Liverpool tolerable.The Italian tactician opted for the exact same XI as against Brighton eight days ago. After all, the Seagulls were thrashed 4-2 at Stamford Bridge, and Maresca had no reason to change anything. Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho were in the flanks once more, while the unbelievable Cole Palmer was behind the centre-forward Nicolas Jackson. On the other hand, Nuno Espirito Santo relied on the experienced Chris Wood, the new England international Morgan Gibbs-White, and Chelsea’s child Callum Hudson-Odoi.After a relatively calm initial period, the Blues made the first so-so attempt only in the 24th minute through their then-most active player, Madueke, who entered in the middle from the right flank and aimed for the far top corner but sent the ball over the bar. At that point, it seemed as if the 22-year-old winger was the only player in Maresca’s team who was mentally and physically present at the game.Enzo the Realist: We are not yet ready to compete for the Premier League titleOver 40,000 people at Stamford Bridge had to wait until the 39th minute to see the first attempt on target, but not by their favourites. Instead, Nottingham’s centre-back Murillo stole the ball around the middle of the field, unleashing a powerful effort from around 20 metres after a solo effort, which Robert Sanchez excellently stopped. Chelsea responded three minutes later, again over Madueke, whose cross was deflected by Matz Sels. Afterwards, Enzo Fernandez tried of a rebound but straight into the Belgian custodian’s arms.Two minutes before the break, the Blues missed the best chance for an opener after another Madueke’s solo effort. The Englishman found Fernandez in the box, whose strike was blocked. Palmer was also near, trying to use the melee and confusion in the box, but failed. In the end, the teams were goalless at the break, and Maresca had a lot to say to all his boys except for the terrific Madueke and the keeper Sanchez.Despite his starters’ poor first-half display, the Italian strategist made no subs during the break. That turned out to be a mistake just five minutes into the second half when Nottingham broke the deadlock! “Mr Set Piece,” James Ward-Prowse sent a fantastic ball in from a free kick, the Trees’ centre-back Nikola Milenkovic headed it inside from the edge of the box, finding Wood, who slotted it home with a volley, making it 1-0!The home team’s reaction came seven minutes later – who else but Noni Madueke?! He got the ball from Palmer on the right side, dribbled the ball inside, and found the bottom right corner of Sels’ goal to make it 1-1! This way, he was rewarded for the exceptional display in the first half! Espirito Santo’s team suffered a huge blow twenty minutes before the end after Gibbs-White had to leave the pitch due to injury, being replaced by Nicolas Dominguez. Conversely, Maresca was yet to make a sub, despite the unsatisfactory result.The light at the end of the tunnel for Chelsea appeared in the 78th minute, when Ward-Prowse made a rookie mistake, slipping and grabbing the ball with his hands to stop the Blues counterattack. The ref, Chris Kavanagh, had no choice but to show him the second booking and send him off. In the last ten minutes, Maresca gave Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix a chance for Jackson and Fernandez.Three minutes before the end, Sels superbly stopped Palmer two times in a row – first the shot and then the rebound. In those moments, the tensions got extremely high as Marc Cucurella and Neco Williams started the brawl, and then the other players and Maresca joined in. Still, it all ended with a booking for the Spaniard. Yet, once the ref showed 13 minutes of added time, everyone at Stamford Bridge knew there was time for a winner.Chelsea vs Nottingham Game is Fire 🤯🔥pic.twitter.com/1zMWW3PO8a— KinG £ (@xKGx__) October 6, 2024 The added time was the time for custodians to shine. Sanchez unbelievably stopped Williams’ shot, and then Sels stepped up, saving Nkunku and Malo Gusto’s efforts and all that in a little over 30 seconds! Seconds before the end, the sub Jota Silva could have brought the whole three points to the Trees, but Sanchez was insurmountable obstacle one more time. Ultimately, Chelsea failed to use the advantage of being a man up, and their five-win streak came to an end. The Blues’ energy and motivation seemed uncertain from the beginning, which was eventually reflected in the outcome. On the other hand, Espirito Santo’s warriors once again proved that they would be a hard nut to crack and that their victory at Anfield was not a coincidence.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 7Saturday Crystal Palace – Liverpool 0-1 (0-1)/Jota 8/Arsenal – Southampton 3-1 (0-0)/Havertz 57, Martinelli 68, Saka 88 – Archer 55/Brentford – Wolverhampton 5-3 (4-2)/Collins 2, Mbuemo 20, Norgaard 28, Pinnock 45, Carvalho 90 – Cunha 4, Larsen 26, Ait-Nouri 90+3/Leicester – Bournemouth 1-0 (1-0)/Buonanotte 16/Man.City – Fulham 3-2 (1-1)/Kovačić 32, 47, Doku 82 – Pereira 26, Muniz 89/West Ham – Ipswich 4-1 (2-1)/Antonio 1, Kudus 43, Bowen 49 – Delap 6/Everton – Newcastle 0-0Sunday Aston Villa – Man Utd 0-0Chelsea – Nottingham Forest 1-1 (0-0)/Madueke 57 – Wood 50/18.30: (3.05) Brighton (3.70) Tottenham (2.35)***odds are subject to change***
