May 13, (THEWILL) – Frank Lampard’s search for a home win as Chelsea caretaker manager continued on Saturday, as his team had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest, highlighting their persistent lack of cohesion.
Forest, under the guidance of Steve Cooper, now find themselves three points clear of the relegation zone, with only two matches remaining in the season. The match started quietly, but Forest took the lead after 12 minutes when Orel Mangala capitalised on Mateo Kovacic’s loss of possession. Renan Lodi’s cross found Taiwo Awoniyi, who beat Edouard Mendy to head the ball into an empty net.
Chelsea had an opportunity to equalise soon after going behind but were denied by a last-ditch tackle from Joe Worrall. The wastefulness of Forest meant they were punished as the Blues equalised with their next attack. A deflected cutback from Trevoh Chalobah found Raheem Sterling, whose shot ricocheted off Ryan Yates and nestled into the top corner. Sterling then fired Chelsea ahead with a curling shot from the edge of the box.
However, Forest fought back once again. A long throw found its way to Mangala, who cleverly looped the ball past a disorganised Chelsea defense, allowing Awoniyi to head in at the far post. The back-and-forth contest ended with Forest securing a valuable point, frustrating Chelsea’s attempts to secure a home win.
With their current standings, Chelsea is likely to finish the season as the lowest-ranking west London team, trailing behind Fulham and Brentford. Forest’s next match is against Arsenal on Saturday, while Chelsea face League leaders Manchester City on Sunday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
