chelsea from 2023 with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday.
Rahim Sterling opened the scoring in the 16th minute, after a ball challenged by Willy Boly and Kai Havertz broke away from the woodwork and fell at the feet of the England international to exploit, even if the Blues could not continue this momentum. Serge Aurier equalized shortly after the hour mark, and the visitors were forced to settle for a point, leaving them eighth in the table. premier league table.
Good points
Chelsea built some great passing moments from the start, even if they didn’t always lead to goalscoring chances. Sterling’s goal came as the Blues’ first big chance of the game, displaying a welcome clinical advantage.
negatives
Despite the visitors’ positive play at the start, it was the Forest striker Brennan Johnson who created the first notable opportunity. There were times when it was far too easy for the hosts to come forward and get behind the Chelsea defence, with the second half being a particular concern as Forest finally got level.
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Manager rating out of 10
Graham Potter, 6 years old — The manager stuck with the players he impressed against Bournemouth and initially saw a positive display from his side but did little to change the game as he walked away from Chelsea with a disappointing second half. His triple change changed the momentum again, but it wasn’t enough to earn a winner.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GC Kepa Arrizabalaga7 — Got up well to save Johnson’s shot after the Wales international had broken through. Made a save comfortable enough to deny Taiwo Awoniyi, then denied Johnson again moments later. He wasn’t given a chance when he was finally beaten.
DF Cesar Azpilicueta5 — Put in a big block to deny Morgan Gibbs-White and had his own deflected wide-range shot. Struggled in the second half as he couldn’t keep up with Johnson when he ran behind, then was booked for a foul on Renan Lodi. Impossible to get close enough to Aurier to deny the equalizer.
DF Kalidou Koulibaly4 — Moved the ball impressively in the first half, creating chances for mason mount and Christian politics. However, he really struggled to deal with Awoniyi, especially when he was forced to go to wider areas.
DF Thiago Silva7 — Showed his experience by expertly cutting through Awoniyi’s cross and stopping Gibbs-White’s burst. Also played ambitious passes to make life difficult for Forest defenders.
DF Marc Cucurella6 — Did well to keep Johnson from navigating the channels in a pretty solid defensive display, and was also involved in some nice linking play with Pulisic.
FM Denis Zakaria6 — Had her patience tested by him ryan yates but continued to put on an impressive first-half display in midfield, particularly when holding off the opposition. However, he couldn’t make the same impact after the break.
FM Jorginho6 — He played some great passes, including one to Sterling in the build-up to a chance for Mount, but there were times when he was too easily taken out of the game.
MF mason frame, 7 — The former Derby County loanee wasn’t afraid to get involved in the fighting side of the game, although he also showed quality with a perfectly weighted pass to Pulisic in the build-up to the opener. Makes a big block to deny Gibbs-White.
F.W. Raheem Sterling, 7 — Wasn’t always on the same page as his teammates early on but picked Mount well in the box and then scored the opener with a clinical finish. Was dispossessed by Boly then gave a free kick to the edge of his own box as he passed out from the game.
Forward Kai Havertz, 5 — Dropped deep to link play well and showed good presence at times, but was guilty of providing a loose touch in the box a few times to spoil promising openings. His unconvincing header made it difficult for Forest’s equaliser.
FW Christian Politics, 6 — Frequently caused real problems for Forest defenders whenever he put them in a one-on-one situation, beating Joe Worral with ease and delivering the cross that led in the opener, while Aurier also struggled against him. Hit a weak shot from a promising position and was edged out by Boly for the equaliser.
Substitutes
FM Mateo Kovacic5 — Substituted for Zakaria in the 61st minute and could do nothing to prevent Forest from equalizing two minutes later.
F.W. hakim ziyechN/R — Seemed most likely to shake things up, delivering a wonderful cross that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failed to convert.
FM Conor GallagherN/R — Immediately sought to take the ball as soon as it was introduced, playing nice forward passes, but to no avail.
FW Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, N/R — Tried to shake things up but failed to hit the target with his header from Ziyech’s exquisite cross.
F.W. Carney ChukwuemekaN/R — Couldn’t find a way to help Chelsea win after their late introduction.
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