Premier League: Aurier’s strike helps Nottingham Forest secure 1-1 draw with Chelsea

Nottinghamshire [UK], January 2 (ANI): Serge Aurier’s maiden goal for Nottingham Forest served as a neutraliser for Raheem Sterling’s first-half strike as the hosts and Chelsea shared points after a 1-1 draw in their Premier League tie at The City Ground on Sunday.

With this win, Chelsea is in the eighth position in the points table with 25 points. They have won seven of their 16 matches in the league so far, drawn four and lost five. On the other hand, Nottingham is in the 18th position in the points table. They have won only three games out of 17 so far and have lost nine and drawn five. They have only 14 points to their name, but they are yet to move out of the relegation zone. Nonetheless, they have a valuable point to their name. Chelsea were not able to showcase their usual dominant side in the first half.

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 were able to secure a lead in 16th minute though. Willy Boly became a villain for his own side by turning Christian Pulisic’s cross onto his own team’s crossbar. Raheem wasted no time in tapping in a rebound from a few yards away. But that was the only attack Chelsea could make in the first half and they managed to coast through the first 45 minutes with a lead.

In the second half, Graham Potter’s side produced a horrible display. Nottingham took full advantage of it. Kepa Arrizabalaga was beaten by Aurier in the 63rd minute. Chelsea could not defend the ball well after a corner, leaving an opportunity for Aurier to volley it under the keeper and to make things even.

Forest appeared happy to settle for a point as Chelsea attempted to establish control in the final few minutes. The Blues could have scored a winner but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang failed to meet Hakim Ziyech’s cross. Following the match, Nottingham boss Steve Cooper expressed pleasure with his team’s performance. He said that his side was tactically good in both halves. “You are playing Chelsea, we have to accept that. Tactically we were really good in the game, first and second half,” said Cooper as quoted by Sky Sports.

“First half we were not aggressive enough with our press. We waited too long before going after the ball. You cannot just go after the ball against Chelsea because you will get played through and you are too open, but you have got to get up to the ball at the right time.”
“I think we were unlucky with the goal. It hits the bar and could go anywhere but drops onto Raheem’s right foot.”

“Second-half we were much more aggressive in our duels. We were the better team, for me, over the course of the game, if you look at the amount of real chances in the game. On the basis of that, a point is the least we deserve. We should take a bit of spirit from the performance,” concluded the Nottingham boss. Chelsea boss Potter was not pleased with his side’s performance, saying, “It’s a hard-earned point against a team that’s set up well. They used the atmosphere and, certainly in the second half, put us under a lot of pressure.”

“Our performance level was not good enough to take the three points. When we had control of the ball, our passing was not fast enough and there was not enough movement.”
“We rallied a little bit but it would have been unfair to take the three points,” he concluded. Chelsea will next play Manchester City on Thursday while Nottingham Forest will take on Southampton.