Chelsea draw with Nottingham Forest after hotheaded encounter | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are still a work in progress, on the one hand missing a chance to keep pace with the Premier League leaders Liverpool, but on the other hand avoiding another home defeat by Nottingham Forest.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side lost their home fixture against Forest last season, and were held to a draw the previous year. Indeed you have to go back to 1998 for the last time Chelsea beat Forest at home in the league.

This was another draw, as Noni Madueke equalised eight minutes after Chris Wood had given the visitors early in the second-half of a bad-tempered match, which ended with a red card for Forest’s James Ward-Prowse – his second at Stamford Bridge in three years.

There was also a mass confrontation between players and staff on the touchline late in the game, and 13 minutes of stoppage time.

Yet it was a relatively uneventful first half. Madueke had set up Cole Palmer for a shot that hit the post, with the ball rebounding into the arms of Forest keeper Mats Selz, while the visitors best effort was a Ryan Yates shot that was blocked by Levi Colwill.

Forest silenced Stamford Bridge four minutes into the second half from a superb set piece routine. Ward-Prowse whipped the ball to the back post for defender Nikola Milenkovic, whose goalward header was flicked into the back of the net by Wood for his fourth goal of the season.

It was against the run of play, though, and Madueke equalised soon afterwards, the winger combining with Palmer before cutting inside and firing a shot into the bottom left corner to bring Maresca’s side level.

Madueke could have had a hat-trick, but he headed directly at Selz and then blasted over the bar from Jadon Sancho’s cutback, all within two minutes of the equaliser.

Morgan Gibbs-White had to depart the pitch with 17 minutes remaining after suffering an ankle injury, jeopardising his hopes of adding to his one England cap in the upcoming international break.

Ward-Prowse was then sent off for handball. An overhit back pass left the midfielder in a race with the speedy Nicolas Jackson, and a slip led to Ward-Prowse deliberately handling the ball, giving referee Christopher Kavanagh no choice but to send him off.

With the clock ticking towards ninety minutes, chaos descended as Neco Williams appeared to barge Marc Cucurella in the direction of Maresca, sending the Chelsea manager ifliying and leading to a mass confrontation between both sets of players and coaching staff. The match resumed after Kavanagh brandished yellow cards to both sides.

Chelsea could have won in stoppage time but substitute Joao Felix headed narrowly wide of the post and Selz saved Christopher Nkunku’s header at close range, while Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez brilliantly denied Williams’ powerful effort.

The result keeps Chelsea in fourth place and moved Forest, who had won at Anfield last month, up to ninth.