Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has given his verdict on Nottingham Forest’s draw with Chelsea.
The Reds took the lead at Stamford Bridge through Taiwo Awoniyi early on as he got on the end of Renan Lodi’s cross. A brace from Raheem Sterling put Steve Cooper ’s side on the backfoot in the second half but Chelsea’s lead lasted only four minutes before Awoniyi was on hand to convert Orel Magala’s inch-perfect cross, following a long throw.
It is a point that sees Forest stay three points above the bottom three, with Everton set to face Manchester City on Sunday and Leicester City hosting Liverpool on Monday night. There may still be a few twists and turns left in the relegation battle but Gary Linkeker feels Forest’s draw at Chelsea could prove to be pivotal in their bid for survival.
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“That, I suspect, though, will turn out to be a very important point for Nottingham Forest,” the Match of the Day host admitted. “They took advantage, as Frank (Lampard) said, of Chelsea’s frailties, particularly in the first half.”
Awoniyi has proved to be Forest’s hero in their last two games, scoring back-to-back braces against Southampton and Chelsea. His prowess in the air helped expose Chelsea’s issues in defence, which were analysed by Shaun Wright-Phillips on Match of the Day.
“It’s a very, very rare away point for Nottingham Forest, who pounced on a lot of Chelsea’s mistakes,” he said. “They only had 23% possession but if you see some of the situations, once (Chelsea’s defence) get it back, it’s almost like there’s a panic. It says to me that (Badiashile) was nervous or felt under too much pressure.
Examining Awoniyi's first goal, where he beat Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to the ball, Wright-Phillips added: “I really don't know what Mendy’s doing. Maybe that’s a bit of rust from not playing for so long but he’s caught in two places there and when he does decide to come it’s a bit too late.”
Forest face Arsenal in their last home game of the season at the City Ground next Saturday before heading to Crystal Palace on the final day.
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