Nottingham Forest earned a spirited 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday at Stamford Bridge despite being reduced to 10 men in the 78th minute after managing to keep the hosts at bay, courtesy of their well-organised defence. The result kept Chelsea, who owned 66 per cent ball possession in the game, in the fourth spot with 14 points from seven matches, while Forest stood 10th.
Forest broke the deadlock after a slow-burn first half in London, when a James Ward-Prowse free-kick, five minutes into the second half, found defender Nikola Milenkovic, who headed across for Chris Wood to tap it home. The goal breathed life into the game before Chelsea pulled off the equaliser after capitalising on a rare error in the Forest defence, with Noni Madueke finding the bottom corner after latching on to a Cole Palmer ball.
Mass brawl overshadows Nottingham Forest draw
The riveting Premier League clash descended into a mass brawl in the 88th minute when Forest defender Neco Williams shoved Chelsea's Marc Cucurella into Maresca in his technical area. Left furious at Williams, Levi Colwill jumped over the touchline to confront the Welsh professional, before members of the backroom staff, managers, and remaining substitutes of both teams came onto the pitch, turning it into a mass brawl.
Among the substitutes was Jackson, replaced by Christopher Nkunku in the 81st minute, who, according to a viral footage from the brawl, appeared to slap Forest's Morato. Moments after the incident, his teammates dragged him out, while others were involved in a heated exchange.
{{/usCountry}}Among the substitutes was Jackson, replaced by Christopher Nkunku in the 81st minute, who, according to a viral footage from the brawl, appeared to slap Forest's Morato. Moments after the incident, his teammates dragged him out, while others were involved in a heated exchange.
{{/usCountry}}Chelsea handed devastating suspension
While Jackson did escape a booking, Cucurella was left shocked when referee Chris Kavanagh showed him the yellow card. Williams and Colwill, too, were booked. Moments later, Chelsea's Welsey Fofana was shown a yellow card for taking down substitute Jota Silva.
The twin bookings for Chelsea implied that both Cucurella and Fofana will miss the trip to Liverpool after the international break.