There was a sending off, a mass bout of fisticuffs, a late unmissable header and two chances for goal machine Cole Palmer. But not even Chelsea on a five-match winning streak could break Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten record on their travels this season. Two brilliant saves at either end in the 13 minutes of injury time probably rightly ensured this high-octane Premier League encounter ended with spoils but even then Robert Sanchez was stretched to full limit to keep out substitute Jota Silva’s downward header as the clock ticked over into the 104th minute.
The late drama was sparked by the sending off of James Ward-Prowse. If the England international did have the legs for a footrace with Nicolas Jackson from the half-way line in the 78th minute, they quickly disappeared from under him and he grabbed the ball to stop the Chelsea striker from sprinting away in entirely calculated fashion. He was almost down the tunnel before the second yellow card was shown.
It was a surprise more did not join them moments later when Neco Williams clipped the heels of Marc Cucurella to send him flying into Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca in the technical area. Around 15 players and staff bumped up against each other in angry remonstration, and while there were only two yellow cards for the initial protagonists, FA charges will almost certainly follow in the morning given the size of the provocation. Before that, it had been a proper 11 v 11 encounter in every sense of the word as the bearers o.