Chelsea player ratings: Raheem Sterling puts on vintage two-goal display but Blues can only draw with Nottingham Forest
RAHEEM STERLING scored twice but Chelsea failed to win at home for the sixth game in a row as Nottingham Forest took a big step to Premier League safety with a 2-2 draw.
Forest had led after Taiwo Awoniyi beat three players – including Edouard Mendy playing his first game since November – to the ball to head into an empty net.
Raheem Sterling then put on a vintage display to get Chelsea into the lead, first turning in a Trevoh Chalobah cut-back before curling in a stunning effort after cutting inside Felipe.
But as quickly as Chelsea had taken the lead they had lost it – the Blues failed to properly deal with a giant Moussa Niakhate throw and when Orel Mangala turned the ball back into the box, Awoniyi stole in ahead of a sleeping Lewis Hall to head in the equaliser.
The two sides played out a frantic final 20 minutes and although both sides had chances, a draw was a fair result on the day.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Sheen rated the Chelsea players at Stamford Bridge…
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Edouard Mendy – 4
Back in the side for the first time since November and his rustiness showed the first time he was called upon.
Went into no man’s land to try and deal with Renan Lodi’s cross, but was beaten to the ball by Awoniyi, who headed into an empty net. Better in the second half.
Trevoh Chalobah – 8
Defended well with a couple of good blocks on Danilo and has shown increased confidence in forward areas in the last couple of weeks from right-back, where he is starting to blossom.
Put in a couple of good crosses in the first half and notched an excellent, composed assist when he picked out Raheem Sterling for the equaliser.
Thiago Silva – 6
Beaten to the ball by an impressive leap from Awoyini for the goal.
Generally defended well and as excellent as ever on the ball, but in one of the key moments of the game he lost an important battle.
Benoit Badiashile – 6
Similar to his centre-back partner, defended well for the most part but that bad error cost Chelsea a goal.
Matched up well with the physicality of the Forest No 9 and should be a sure selection in the remaining games of the season.
Lewis Hall – 7
Really impressive performance for the teenager, with the decision to keep him out of the Under-20 World Cup looking like a good one.
Showed an excellent engine getting up and down his flank and was one of the only players to deliver real quality in the final third. Asleep for Awoniyi’s second though, a big error from the youngster that brings his score down.
Connor Gallagher – 7
The same as ever with Gallagher, he worked his socks off and was a key part of Chelsea winning back so much possession high up the pitch.
However, the quality in the final third is just not there, which presents a real problem for a team defending against a low block.
Enzo Fernandez – 7
Kept possession very well under limited pressure from Forest and once or twice showed the type of defence-splitting long passing that would justify his huge fee and that reminded of Cesc Fabregas’ best days.
He’s not quite at Cesc’s level just yet, but a decent performance in the middle.
Mateo Kovacic – 4
Lost possession on the build-up to the goal and then went off injured just before half-time.
Kept possession well but wasn’t able to carry the ball in his trademark fashion.
Noni Madueke – 4
He’s a truly thrilling player to watch and has a deep bag of tricks that helps him create space from his defender and get into dangerous positions.
However, he is as raw as they come with his final ball and his crossing and passing was poor, he had ample opportunity to lay passes on for his team-mates but they were either misplaced or misjudged.
Joao Felix – 4
Such a frustrating player to watch. One of the most talented players on the pitch on any given day, all the talent he has should manifest itself into more goals and assists than it does.
Poor service from his team-mates plays a part, but Felix should do more and he was rightly subbed off.
Raheem Sterling – 8
Struggled in the first half but his two goals were vintage Sterling. The first saw him lose his marker in the box with a deft bit of movement and his first-time finish – although deflected, was decisive.
The second was beautiful, drifting over to the left and then cutting inside Felipe before curling an unstoppable effort into the top corner.
Subs
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (for Kovacic, 44) – 8
Injected much-needed physicality into the Chelsea midfield and his powerful burst forward and smart pass brought Sterling his second goal.
Looked like a player fighting for his Chelsea future.
Hakim Ziyech (for Madueke, 74) – 5
Saw a huge amount of the ball after coming on but his crossing was totally wayward.
Some were overhit and some were under-hit – but none of them reached their intended target.
Kai Havertz (for Felix, 74) – 4
Barely had a touch when he came on, with Chelsea failing to create anything for their forward..
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta, Wesley Fofana, Mykhailo Mudryk, Christian Pulisic, David Fofana.