- Sterling opened scoring
- Aurier pegged Blues back
- Cooper thinks Forest deserved win
WHAT HAPPENED? The City Ground welcomed the new year with a point against a lacklustre Chelsea side. Raheem Sterling's first-half opener was cancelled out by former Spurs defender Serge Aurier, who volleyed home on the 63rd-minute mark. Potter's side could not live with Forest's aggression and will likely count themselves fortunate to get anything out of the game.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to Sky Sports soon after the game, Cooper said: "We should be pleased we were the better team and we should've won but we didn't. We will take the learnings from it. You want to try and win every game especially here, you have to respect the opponent and they have world class players all over.
"We were unlucky with the goal, it hits the bar and could go anywhere and drops onto Raheem's right foot. We were more aggressive second half with press and duels. We were the better team for me over the course of the game. Even first half we still created the better chances of the half. On the basis of that a point is the least we deserve."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The stats support Cooper's stance, too. Although Chelsea had a mammoth 72% of the ball, they had five fewer shots than the home side with Forest finishing the game with 12 attempts. They also had more shots on target than the Blues who struggled to break down a compact and rigid Forest backline.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR FOREST? No doubt buoyed by another impressive result at home, Cooper will take his side down to Southampton who currently occupy bottom spot in the Premier League.