Nottingham Forest came from behind to earn a valuable 1-1 draw against Chelsea in their first Premier League fixture of 2023.
Raheem Sterling put the visitors ahead against the run of play at the City Ground on New Year's Day. But Forest scored a deserved equaliser just after the hour mark, courtesy of Serge Aurier.
Steve Cooper's men responded well following their 3-0 defeat at Manchester United. And having already beaten Liverpool and Tottenham on home soil this season, they produced another promising performance against one of the "Big Six".
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The result means Forest are now only inside the relegation zone on goal difference. Here, we take a look at how the national media reported on the Chelsea game...
BBC Sport
In the first half Forest were keen to use the pace of Brennan Johnson in behind the Chelsea defence and he came closest for the hosts in a one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Despite falling behind early on, the atmosphere at the City Ground built throughout the half, inspired in part by the crowd becoming frustrated by the performance of referee Peter Bankes.
Cooper's team then leapt out of the blocks after the break, with Johnson having an effort saved before Gibbs-White rattled the underside of the bar with a wonderful strike.
The runs of Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi in the channels caused Chelsea problems throughout the game, but as has been the case throughout the season - they have only scored 12 goals in 17 league games - they lacked cutting edge in the final third.
It took a superb piece of finishing from defender Aurier to earn them a point but with signs of Cooper settling on his best 11 and a vocal fan base, they look as if they will make a good fist of preserving their top-flight status.
Sky Sports
Forest may have slumped to a 3-0 loss at Manchester United earlier this week, but their form before the World Cup break demonstrated their ability to compete with the biggest sides in the Premier League.
Liverpool and Tottenham were both beaten at the City Ground before the mid-season break and Chelsea nearly had their name added to that list after a spirited fightback from Cooper’s side.
Chelsea barely got out of second gear in the first half and could have been behind when Brennan Johnson burst clear, but Kepa Arrizabalaga did well to keep out the Wales international’s effort.
The Blues took the lead shortly after when Willy Boly contrived to turn Christian Pulisic’s cross onto his own crossbar, leaving Sterling to tap in the rebound from just yards out.
But that was pretty much it from Chelsea in an attacking sense, with Potter’s side coasting towards half-time before finding themselves dominated by Forest in the second period.
Telegraph
While Chelsea were drab, it was another stirring night on the banks of the River Trent. Home games will be vital in Steve Cooper ’s bid to retain Forest’s Premier League status.
The home team responded brilliantly in the second-half and Serge Aurier’s first goal in nearly two years was a reward for their adventure.
Forest will head into a potentially significant evening on Wednesday with renewed confidence, when they face bottom club Southampton, though Jesse Lingard is out for a month with a hamstring injury.
Guardian
The City Ground became even more of a bear pit in the second half as Forest found their straps. Gibbs-White showed his poise and vision as he broke out on to Orel Mangala’s short pass and played the perfect channel ball in behind Azpilicueta for Johnson to run on to and drive goalwards, Arrizabalaga saving well.
When Yates pulled a ball back for Gibbs-White to crash a shot from the edge of the penalty area against the underside of the bar, the decibel levels went up to 11. Sure enough, the equaliser followed, shortly after Potter replaced Zakaria with Mateo Kovacic, sensing the game’s momentum was going away from him.
From Gibbs-White’s corner to the near post, Havertz’s weak header was nodded down by Boly for Aurier to chest down, swivel and volley in his first goal for Forest. If this was a goal conceived in the Ivory Coast, it was forged in the furnace of Forest’s fire.
Independent
So much for the notion that the World Cup would have restorative powers for Chelsea, bringing a reset and a revival under Graham Potter. They might have beaten Bournemouth, but they lost a lead, two points and their way against Nottingham Forest. After delivering a performance of resounding mediocrity, a disjointed side go into a double-header against Manchester City with their chances of a top-four finish dented further.
Such New Year’s Honours as were awarded at the City Ground went instead to Forest, who produced a rousing second-half comeback to underline that they are becoming a decidedly awkward proposition on their own turf. It was capped by Serge Aurier’s first Forest goal. Another of their 22 summer signings, Morgan Gibbs-White, was the game’s outstanding player. He was Forest’s record signing while Chelsea were Europe’s biggest spenders last summer. If, at times, it scarcely looked as though some £400m had been spent on these squads, Gibbs-White nevertheless illustrated his quality.
Twelve of Forest’s 14 points have now come at home and, following victory against Liverpool and the Carabao Cup triumph over Tottenham, it was further proof they can bloody the noses of their supposed superiors at the City Ground. They might have been buoyed, too, by the sense they had little to fear from Chelsea. It might have galvanised them at the break
Daily Mail
Still in the game at half-time, Forest were terrific thereafter. More assertive in midfield, they turned Chelsea ball over with regularity.
Morgan Gibbs-White became the game’s best player and struck the underside of the bar with a thunderclap of a shot in the 53rd minute while Johnson broke down the right to work Kepa Arrizabalaga when a pass left to Awoniyi would have seen the Nigerian with a tap-in.
The goal was to arrive anyway. Chelsea’s Havertz could only head a near post corner up in the air and when Boly jumped with requisite desire to nod it down to Aurier he applied a chest control and volleyed finish that few would have expected from a jobbing full-back.
Forest were a team reborn, more reminiscent of the side that enjoyed better form prior to the World Cup break.
Mirror
Coming into this game, only Wolves had scored fewer goals than Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. Their troubles in front of goal were initially clear to see against the Blues.
Johnson threatened time and again in behind the Chelsea backline, with Steve Cooper’s tactics obvious and spot on. But although the Wales international’s movement and pace was promising, his finishing was poor.
A simple ball over the top saw him get in early on, only for a weak left-footed finish to be comfortably pushed away by Kepa. After a mistake by Cesar Azpilicueta, Johnson was in again in the second half, but chose to shoot from an angle rather than look for Taiwo Awoniyi. After Gibbs-White struck the bar, they finally got their reward through Aurier's composed finish.
The Sun
Serge Aurier scored his first Premier League goal for over two years in another poor result for Chelsea boss Graham Potter.
Forest defender Aurier had not found the net since Spurs battered Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford in October 2020.
But the Ivorian full-back delivered a striker’s finish in the 63rd minute as Steve Cooper’s team scored for the first time this season after conceding.
It was no more than Forest deserved.
Press Association
Nottingham Forest gave their Premier League survival hopes a shot in the arm with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, whose troubles on the road continued.
Forest had already beaten Liverpool and Tottenham at the City Ground this season and turned in another impressive performance against one of the big boys.
After falling behind to Raheem Sterling’s opener against the run of play, they put in a fine second-half display which was rewarded with Serge Aurier’s equaliser just after the hour.
On the balance of the game, Steve Cooper’s men arguably deserved to win as Morgan Gibbs-White hit the crossbar, but this will give them great encouragement in their bid to beat the drop this season.
Chelsea did at least stop a fourth away defeat in a row but they will require a vast improvement if they are to close the seven-point gap on the top four.
Forest’s impressive performance was soured, though, by alleged homophobic chanting from the Forest fans towards the travelling support.
Having seen off Liverpool in October and Spurs in the Carabao Cup, there was early optimism for another scalp after the way they started as their pace troubled Chelsea.
They forced Kepa Arrizabalaga into two saves as Gibbs-White played Brennan Johnson through on goal but his first shot was well saved by the visiting goalkeeper, with the follow-up effort easier to gather.
Forest were on top when they fell behind in the 16th minute.
Christian Pulisic was allowed too much space to get in a cross, which Willy Boly made a mess of trying to clear and it looped over Dean Henderson and off the crossbar, with Sterling waiting eagerly to fire home the rebound for his first Premier League goal since August.
Despite their lead, Graham Potter’s side were not dominating, though did have the better efforts on goal with Cesar Azpilicueta seeing a deflected effort go just wide, while Pulisic shot straight at Henderson.
Forest started the second half very well and were presented with a fine chance just four minutes in.
Johnson raced clear down the right and a square ball to Taiwo Awoniyi looked the best option, but he instead opted to shoot and Kepa was equal to it with a low save.
They were within inches of levelling five minutes later and it would have been a cracker as Ryan Yates’ cross was met perfectly by Gibbs-White but his first-time effort crashed off the underside of the bar and just to safety.
A deserved leveller came just after the hour from an unlikely source as Aurier scored his first goal since January 2021.
Chelsea failed to clear a corner and the former Tottenham defender controlled Boly’s header with his chest and then lashed home.
Forest will have fancied their chances of going on to find what would have been a deserved winner, but they could not create any more clear-cut opportunities and had to settle for a point which leaves them in the relegation zone on goal difference.
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