Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea: Nottingham Forest Serge Aurier’s first Nottingham Forest goal since he joined the club ended Chelsea’s chance of closing the gap on the Top 4.
In the 2nd minute of the game, in vast expanses of space, Mason Mount was in possession of Koulibaly’s accurate yet straight throw from deep.
The English player handled the ball well before shooting wide. He got a cruel chants from the Nottingham Forest fans which read “Derby County reject”.
Nottingham Forest started well, with Brennan Johnson running past Chelsea’s Kalidou Koulibaly to make an attempt on goal, which was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea went ahead in the 16th minute after Willy Boly turned Christian Pulisic’s cross onto the Nottingham Forest crossbar. Raheem Sterling wasted no time to capitalize on the rebounce.
Just before halftime, Pulisic had a good opportunity to make a stronger shot but instead sent a poor shot straight at Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Nottingham Forest were the better team in the second half with Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been out due to a calf injury, hitting the ball exceptionally, but it failed to cross the Kepa line.
In the 63rd minute, Aurier took full control of the ball after receiving a corner in the Chelsea box before hitting the ball past Kepa. The Chelsea defenders were shocked that the ball went past them.
Chelsea had the chance to regain some control, and when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang somehow missed Hakim Ziyech’s exquisite right-wing cross, Chelsea could have scored a late winner.
Taiwo Awoniyi went past Koulibaly’s countless times. The Senegal defender had difficult times dealing with Awoniyi. The absence of Reece James made Chelsea’s attack look toothless in the second half.
Nottingham Forest knows that a win will move them away from the relegation zone after suffering a disappointing defeat to Manchester United.
However, Nottingham Forest manager Steve Copper will be delighted with their performance even after they failed to get all three points.
Graham Potter Chelsea produced a dreadful performance in the second half, where they had zero shots on target, which currently leaves them in the eighth position.
The situation needs to get better over the next few weeks because it will be challenging for Potter and the new owner Todd Boehly to accomplish their goals outside of the Champions League next season.
What Next For Nottingham Forest and Chelsea
Nottingham Forest travels to Southampton on January 4, 2023, at 8:30 p.m. A win for the Forest side will lift them away from the relegation zone.
Chelsea, on the other hand, welcome Premier League Champions Manchester City to Stamford Bridge on January 5, 2023, at 9:00 p.m.
Graham Potter doesn’t need to drop more points, but Pep Guardiola’s side is the team to beat even though they currently sit in second place.
