Serge Aurier’s first Nottingham Forest goal cancelled out Raheem Sterling’s strike and earned the Premier League strugglers a deserved 1-1 draw against a lacklustre Chelsea at the City Ground.
Forest went into the game knowing a victory would move them out of the relegation zone and, while they were unable to claim all three points, Steve Cooper will be delighted with the much-improved second-half performance that saw his side claim a valuable point.
As for Chelsea, a win would have seen them move to within five points of the top four and they looked well on their way to doing so when Sterling gave them a half-time lead.
But Graham Potter’s side produced a dreadful display in the second 45 minutes that saw them hand the initiative to Forest and leave themselves eighth in the Premier League before a daunting trip to Manchester City on Thursday.