Even on the back of five wins on the trot, there was nothing they could do to break Nottingham Forest's unbeaten record on their travels.
Two outstanding saves, one at each end, during 14 minutes of injury time probably rightly ensured this high-octane encounter ended with honours even. Even then, Chelsea's goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, was stretched to the limit to keep out the substitute Jota Silva's downward header as the clock ticked into a nailbiting 104th minute.
The late drama had been sparked by the dismissal of James WardProwse. If the England international, 30 next month, did have the legs for a footrace with Nicolas Jackson from the halfway line in the 78th minute, they quickly disappeared from under him.
Grabbing the ball deliberately as he fell to the turf was the only way he could stop the Chelsea striker from sprinting away. Ward-Prowse was almost down the tunnel before the second yellow card was shown.
It was a surprise more did not join him for an early bath moments later.
Neco Williams clipped the heels of Marc Cucurella as they chased a loose ball to send him flying into Chelsea's manager, Enzo Maresca, in the technical area.
This story is from the October 07, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the October 07, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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