This felt like an ice hockey game at times.
No puck but a good ruck, the game racing from end to end, a tear-up full of desperate blocking, keepers making incredible saves, an expulsion for a barrister’s son and an explosion of tempers that cleared both benches.
That melee arrived when Neco Williams tripped Marc Cucurella who careered off the pitch and took out his own manager, Enzo Maresca.
It was almost comical. Everyone piled in, a couple of security staff also stepped in to calm things down, the substituted Nicolas Jackson tried to get at Morato, and what PGMOL would term ‘sustained holding’ was going on everywhere.
Maresca stood back, surveyed the schoolyard grappling, and tried not to laugh.
This was a game that had everything except a winner.
Nottingham Forest probably felt closest to feeling victorious as they were away from home, kept chasing a winner on the counter even when down to ten and because they had players like the home-
grown Ryan Yates eclipsing a world champion in Enzo Fernandez.
Yates embodied Forest’s defiance. The Forest hordes in the Shed must have watched their team with pride.
Yates could have been man of the match but other Forest players produced even more. Nikola Milenkovic was immense at the back and provided the assist for Forest’s goal after 49 minutes.
James Ward-Prowse lifted the free-kick to the far-post, Milenkovic beat Malo Gusto, and Chris Wood drifted away from Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo to score.
But the supreme display came from Matz Sels in the Forest goal. The Belgian never convinced during his spell at Newcastle United and there were still some doubts when he arrived at the City Ground last winter. Even at the start of this season, there were questions about the 32-year-old.
Not now. Not after keeping out Fernandez’s shot, Jackson’s shot, Noni Madueke’s header, Cole Palmer’s shot, Christopher Nkunku’s header, a Gusto shot, and then twice in quick succession from Palmer.
7
7
This was a big point for Forest, and further vindication of Nuno Espirito Santo’s management.
He organised the team so well again, they have conceded only six
goals in seven Premier League games, and are ninth.
Even when Ward-Prowse was sent off after 80 minutes, grasping the ball to stop Jackson attacking, and already on a booking for fouling Palmer, Nuno sent on attackers like Jota Silva and Anthony Elanga.
Forest fans loved that gutsy response from ten men and manager.
As well as the suspension to Ward-Prowse, the only other frustration for Forest was an injury to Morgan Gibbs-White.
He was playing well, contributing out of possession by tackling back, but otherwise scheming promisingly in the No.10 position.
Challenged (fairly) by Gusto after 76 minutes, Gibbs-White landed awkwardly, jarred his right ankle and has to be a doubt for England’s two Nations League qualifiers.
7
Like Forest, Chelsea have similarly been receiving plenty of positive headlines of late, all that band of blues brothers marching to Maresca’s tune, and winning five on the spin so it would be unfair suddenly to assail them with questions.
Certain issues still need tackling. Maresca might have to tweak his tactics against opponents playing low blocks like Forest’s and Crystal Palace, another who drew 1-1 here.
Jackson works better against higher lines, targeting space to run into. A job for Nkunku?
Maresca has a big call to make on Fernandez. The world champion is his captain, an expensive signing, a strong character, but he was eclipsed by Yates.
7
7
Within 20 seconds, Yates introduced himself to Fernandez, leaving him on the ground and chuntering.
Fernandez soon complained to Yates of an elbow and then pulled him down. Time for Romeo Lavia to complement Moises Caicedo?
Otherwise there were plenty of positives. Robert Sanchez has been questioned but was outstanding here.
He kept out Yates’ header, Murillo’s shot, a Gibbs-White header,
an Elliot Anderson shot and Ward-Prowse’s shot.
7
In added time, as Forest defended deep and countered only occasionally, Sanchez needed all his agility to fend off Williams’ shot and Jota Silva’s header.
Jadon Sancho looks revitalised by his loan move away from Manchester United.
There were occasional echoes of his Borussia Dortmund best with his running at Ola Aina, Chelsea’s right-back.
Sancho would change direction, stop on the ball, feint to go different ways, then take off again.
Over on the right, Madueke profited from his link-ups with Palmer, including in the 57th minute when he took another pass, cut inside Alex Moreno and curled his shot in.
Madueke worked on his finishing in the summer and it’s paying off. This was his fifth goal of the season.
As good as this finish was, Madueke still needs to vary his
attacking, perhaps even returning the ball to Palmer occasionally.
But these are minor quibbles. The game was too enjoyable to be churlish.
