Serge Aurier's first Nottingham Forest goal cancelled out Raheem Sterling's strike and earned the Premier League strugglers a deserved 1-1 draw against a lacklustre Chelsea at the City Ground
Forest went into the game knowing a victory would move them out of the relegation zone and, while they were unable to claim all three points, Steve Cooper was happy with the much-improved second-half performance that saw his side claim a valuable point
As for Chelsea, a win would have seen them move to within five points of the top four and they looked well on their way to doing so when Sterling gave them a half-time lead
But Graham Potter's side produced a dreadful display in the second 45 minutes that saw them hand the initiative to Forest and leave themselves eighth in the Premier League before a daunting trip to Manchester City on Thursday
Forest may have slumped to a  earlier this week, but their form before the World Cup break demonstrated their ability to compete with the biggest sides in the Premier League
Liverpool and Tottenham were both beaten at the City Ground before the mid-season break and Chelsea nearly had their name added to that list after a spirited fightback from Cooper’s side
Chelsea barely got out of second gear in the first half and could have been behind when Brennan Johnson burst clear, but Kepa Arrizabalaga did well to keep out the Wales international’s effort
The Blues took the lead shortly after when Willy Boly contrived to turn Christian Pulisic’s cross onto his own crossbar, leaving Sterling to tap in the rebound from just yards out (16)
But that was pretty much it from Chelsea in an attacking sense, with Potter’s side coasting towards half-time before finding themselves dominated by Forest in the second period
Morgan Gibbs-White, back in the starting XI after a calf injury, almost drew the hosts level with a cracking effort from the edge of the area that crashed against the crossbar before just failing to cross Kepa’s line
But Aurier was able to beat Kepa just after the hour mark when Chelsea produced some less-than-convincing defending from a corner, leaving the former Tottenham full-back to control the loose ball before volleying it under the goalkeeper (63)
Forest appeared happy to settle for a point as the game ticked towards full-time, allowing Chelsea the opportunity to re-establish an element of control, and they should have scored a late winner when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang somehow failed to meet Hakim Ziyech’s sumptuous right-wing cross
But the Blues were forced to accept a point that does far less for their hopes of finishing in the top four than it does for Forest’s chances of avoiding a return to the Championship
Steve Cooper urged Nottingham Forest to take “spirit” from their performance against Chelsea, which he said was good enough to earn at least a point
“You're playing Chelsea, we have to accept that,” said the Forest boss
 “Tactically we were really good in the game, first and second half
“First half we weren't aggressive enough with our press
 We waited too long before going after the ball
 You can't just go after the ball against Chelsea because you'll get played through and you're too open, but you've got to get up to the ball at the right time
“I think we were unlucky with the goal
 It hits the bar and could go anywhere but drops onto Raheem's right foot
“Second-half we were much more aggressive in our duels
 We were the better team, for me, over the course of the game, if you look at the amount of real chances in the game
 On the basis of that, a point is the least we deserve
 We should take a bit of spirit from the performance
”Chelsea head coach Graham Potter said his side did not move the ball quickly enough against Forest and their display was not worthy of claiming all three points
"It’s a hard-earned point against a team that’s set up well," Potter told 
 "They used the atmosphere and, certainly in the second half, put us under a lot of pressure
"Our performance level wasn’t good enough to take the three points
 When we had control of the ball, our passing wasn’t fast enough and there wasn’t enough movement
"We rallied a little bit but it would have been unfair to take the three points
"Whatever Graham Potter says to his Chelsea players during the half-time of matches, it isn’t working
The Blues dropped their performance level significantly during the second half of their  earlier this week, with just one shot on target recorded as the Cherries let them off the hook with some poor finishing
Potter’s side were at it again at the City Ground, producing just one shot during the entire second period with an expected goals total of only 0
26
Chelsea had to expect a reaction after half-time from a Forest side playing in front of a boisterous support, but the way in which they were dominated by opponents who ended the day still in the relegation zone was hugely concerning
After going into the World Cup break on the back of three successive defeats without scoring a goal, Potter needed to oversee back-to-back wins in their first two matches as the Premier League returned to breathe life back into their pursuit of a top-four place
But Chelsea were unable to do so, with four points from two matches against two struggling sides leaving them seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United
With champions Manchester City coming to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night - live on  - and a rematch taking place at the Etihad in the FA Cup third round next Sunday, the schedule only gets tougher for Chelsea
Potter went into the World Cup with pressure building just months after his arrival from Brighton
 If his side suffer another Premier League defeat on Thursday and then find themselves out of the FA Cup this time next week, that pressure will be back in abundance
next match is against at St Mary's on Wednesday, with the Premier League game kicking off at 7
30pm
Steve Cooper's side then travel to for their FA Cup third-round fixture on Saturday - kick-off at 3pm
next outing is against at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, with the Premier League clash live on from 6
30pm - kick-off at 8pm
The Blues then travel to the Etihad for a rematch with City in the FA Cup third round on Sunday - kick-off at 4
30pm
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>
<PAD>