Chelsea continued a poor run of form in the league as they slumped to a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest to kick off 2023. Having had the perfect start to the new year with Raheem Sterling's rebound goal, a second half siege from the promoted side paid off with Serge Aurier's equaliser.
Graham Potter's men offered very little in a slack second half that summed up their season so far. Conceding to an ex-Tottenham full-back made it worse for the fans and being penned in by a true relegation candidate offered a stark message to the owners, who are looking to invest heavily in the transfer market.
Things also don't get any easier for the Blues with a Premier League and FA Cup double-header against Manchester City up next, and Liverpool to face before the month is out - all without Reece James available. It may well get harder before it gets easier and drawing to Forest before this run of fixtures has done little to ease the pressure on Potter.
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With all of this considered, here's how the national media reacted to Chelsea's draw.
Tom Parsons writes: 'Chelsea boss Graham Potter admits he is "concerned" with his team’s form after they were held to a 1-1 draw by strugglers Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. The Blues have won just one of their last seven top-flight matches and have fallen to eighth in the table.
'Chelsea took the lead in the east Midlands as Raheem Sterling reacted quickest after the ball had come back off the crossbar. But the Blues were unable to capitalise on their lead and were pegged back just after the hour mark as Serge Aurier turned the ball in after the visitors had failed to deal with a corner.
'The result leaves the west London giants seven points behind fourth-place Manchester United, with Tottenham, Liverpool and Fulham in between the two sides. And Potter’s endeavours to secure Champions League qualification could get even harder as his side are set to take on Manchester City and Liverpool in their next three matches.'
Peter Lansley writes: 'The final whistle was greeted with a huge cheer around an impassioned City Ground as Serge Aurier's equaliser enabled Nottingham Forest to climb level with 17th place but Chelsea’s status under Graham Potter remains a matter for debate after they let slip a lead established by Raheem Sterling’s opener.
'Chelsea have won only once, against Bournemouth on Tuesday, in seven league games as they enter a critical week in which they play Manchester City twice. Edging above Brighton to level on points with seventh-placed Fulham was, presumably, not what Todd Boehly, the Chelsea co-owner, had in mind when he hired Potter from the former to replace Thomas Tuchel as head coach in September. Perhaps next Sunday’s visit to the Etihad in the third round of the FA Cup represents a better route to success this season than Thursday’s Premier League home game against the champions.
'That Chelsea managed one effort at goal – off target – in the second half is a damning indictment on an attacking array of talent against a Forest team who deserved their point for sheer stubborn bloody-mindedness as much as anything.'
Will Schofield writes: 'Chelsea looked to be suffering from a serious World Cup hangover at The City Ground the Blues were second-best across the pitch from the first minute.
'There was a huge dose of luck with Sterling's opener, while Forest's equaliser boiled down to Cooper's side simply wanting the ball more. However, it wasn't just the two goals where it was evident Chelsea's energy levels were low.
'Across the pitch, in almost, every 50/50 battle Forest players were coming out on top - and Potter's substitutions didn't help inject any life into the side.'
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