Chelsea wasted victory over Nottingham Forest

video goals: Nottingham Forest- Chelsea FC-Played on 01/01/ 2023

Chelsea returned to the cycle of disappointing results, tying with its host Nottingham Forest 1-1 on Sunday evening, at the end of the eighteenth round of the English Premier League.

Raheem Sterling scored the Chelsea goal (16th sq.), while Serge Aurier scored the Nottingham Forest goal (63rd sq.).

With this tie, Chelsea’s balance rose to 25 points in eighth place, while Nottingham Forest raised its balance to 14 points in eighteenth place.

Chelsea coach Graham Potter relied on the 4-3-3 game plan, as Kalidou Coulibaly stood next to Thiago Silva deep in the back line, with the support of the full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Mark Cocoria, and Denis Zakaria played the role of the pivot player, with the support of the Italian Jorginho, to give the two freedom. Mason Mount, in moving behind the attacking trio of Raheem Sterling, Christian Pulisic, and Kai Havertz.

On the opposite side, Nottingham coach Steve Cooper resorted to the 4-3-3 method of play as well, where the back line consisted of Serge Aurier, Joe Worrall, Willy Boly, Renan Lodi, and Ryan Yates played the role of the pivot player, and moved in front of Uriel Mangala and Remo Frowler, behind a trio Attack consisting of Taiwo Ionei, Brennan Johnson, and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Chelsea missed a dangerous opportunity in the second minute when Coulibaly sent a long ball toward Mont, who controlled it on the left side, before shooting next to the near post.

Sterling sent a low ball towards the middle of the penalty area, to be followed by Mont with a shot, which rebounded from defender Worrall and was picked up by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Gibbs White passed a ball to Johnson, who was alone with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who saved his attempt, before he also dismissed the second attempt in the tenth minute.

Johnson passed the ball to Jeb Sweet, who Azpilicueta stopped in front of his shot in the 15th minute before Sterling scored a goal for Chelsea in the 16th minute when he took advantage of a rebound from the crossbar when Boley tried to clear it, to push it into the goal.

After the goal, Nottingham tried to respond through organized attacks, but Chelsea’s defense, led by Silva, was fortified, while the likes of Mount and Pulisic returned to provide defensive support.

The atmosphere became tense after half an hour, after a joint game between Mount and Frowler, and Pulisic passed the ball to Azpilicueta, who fired a right-footed shot that rebounded from the defense and passed by the near post in the 40th minute.

A free kick caused a tangle in the Nottingham penalty area, and the ball reached Coulibaly, who passed to Pulisic, but the latter’s ball settled in the arms of Henderson in the 43rd minute.

Nottingham seemed intent on equalizing at the start of the second half, and Frowler passed a clever ball to Owyiyi, whose shot was saved by Kepa in the 47th minute.

Two minutes later, Johnson launched the ball from the right, but ignored the pass to Owyi, and chose to shoot, but Kepa was the master of the situation again.

Yates directed a low ball from the edge of the penalty area, which bounced off the crossbar in the 54th minute, then the Chelsea defense was confused by a cross from Gibbs White, so the ball returned to the latter to block the defense for his shot, before the ball reached Johnson, who passed to Aurier, so he shot the latter from the first touch. Over the goal in the 56th minute.

The owner of the land was able to equalize the score in the 63rd minute when Pauli headed a corner, and the ball reached Aurier, who fired a half-volley from close range into the net.

The pace of play calmed down after the equalizer, and Chelsea tried to regain its lead, by throwing in Connor Gallagher, Hakim Ziyech, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, to change the game to 4-2-3-1.

Chelsea almost took the lead again in the 81st minute, when Ziyash sent a cross from the right, Aubameyang tried to follow it into the goal without success, and the minutes passed without anything new.