Chelsea played for 26 minutes with an extra player, survived a mass brawl, saw João Félix spurn a late unmissable header and watched two brilliant saves deny goal machine Cole Palmer. Even on the back of five wins on the trot, there was nothing they could do to break Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten record on their travels.
Two outstanding saves, one at each end, during 14 minutes of injury time probably rightly ensured this high-octane Premier League encounter ended with honours even. Even then, Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, was stretched to the limit to keep out the substitute Jota Silva’s downward header as the clock ticked into a nail-biting 104th minute.
The late drama had been sparked by the dismissal of James Ward-Prowse. If the England international, 30 next month, did have the legs for a footrace with Nicolas Jackson from the halfway line in the 78th minute, they quickly disappeared from under him.
Grabbing the ball deliberately as he fell to the turf was the only way he could stop the Chelsea striker from sprinting away. Ward-Prowse was almost down the tunnel before the second yellow card was shown.
It was a surprise more did not join him for an early bath moments later. Neco Williams clipped the heels of Marc Cucurella as they chased a loose ball to send him flying into Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, in the technical area.
About 15 players and staff bumped up against each other in angry remonstration, and although there were only two yellow cards, for the initial protagonists, Football Associations investigations will follow given the size of the incident. Chelsea’s six bookings overall trigger a charge of failing to control their players.
Before the sending-off, it had been an 11-v-11 encounter in every sense, with the bearers of that number doing most to decide the destination of the spoils.
Chelsea’s No 11, Noni Madueke, spent the first half on a personal mission to find the back of the net. He had dragged a shot wide of the near post within 10 minutes and fired a couple of hopeful drives inches over the bar.
This season, though, Forest have been masters of the away heist – just ask Southampton and Liverpool – and Murillo served notice of their danger when he read a clearance from Palmer on halfway, strode forward and unleashed a 25-yard shot which Sánchez watchfully beat away with his palms.
With Chelsea’s pace, Forest were always on the edge of a precipice. The visitors were confidently knocking the ball across the back at the end of a goalless first half when Murillo was guilty of a momentary lapse. Madueke was there to snap the ball away, race to the line and cut his cross back dangerously.
Ola Aina’s timely challenge took the sting out of Palmer’s 10-yard shot but it clipped the heels of Jackson and hit the post, rolling along the goalline. Matz Sels, falling backwards, flung out an arm to stop the ball with half of its cross-section inside the goal, and unceremoniously sat on it.
There was still time for Ryan Yates to stand unmarked 15 yards from the Chelsea goal and unleash a shot which would have burst the net if Levi Colwill’s rather more resilient thigh not been thrust impenetrably in the way.
So while it seemed inevitable that a goal would come soon, there was still some doubt which way it would go.
Four minutes into the second period, we had our answer. Nikola Milenkovic flicked on Ward-Prowse’s free-kick from the edge of the centre-circle and Forest’s No 11, Chris Wood, toe-poked the ball into the corner like the good old-fashioned centre-forward that he delights in being.
Very different from the quicksilver Madueke, who if anything had been trying too hard with his shooting. In the 57th minute, though, Madueke showed all the nonchalance of a Turkish Olympic marksman to spot his target, pull the trigger and drill the ball unerringly into the penny-sized target just inside the far post.
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Two minutes later, in a nod to his previous lack of precision, Madueke side-footed a much easier chance over the bar.
Chelsea looked the favourites for a winner and the first time Jackson burst free towards goal he sparked another period of mesmerising pinball in the Forest area – again with nobody in blue able to divert it in.
He also seemed in very direct mood and if Ward-Prowse had let him go free a second time Chelsea might be celebrating a sixth successive win and Forest’s run might have limply come to an end.
But then the Premier League is never that simple, is it?
