Chelsea v Nottm Forest 28/09/96 3.00Chelsea (0) 1 Nottm Forest (0) 1 FT Vialli 51 Lee 90 Jason Lee wrapped up a wretched week for Chelsea with a last-gasp goal that stunned Stamford Bridge. Nottingham Forest's transfer-listed striker, a new man since abandoning his pineapple haircut, stole a point after Chelsea had dominated this Premiership clash. But the alarm bells were sounding long before Lee's second goal of the week as Chelsea failed to convert a succession of gilt-edged chances. Player-boss Ruud Gullit, still confined to the dug-out after a pre-season operation, stood motionless on the touchline after seeing victory snatched from his grasp. 
Make no mistake, Chelsea should have won convincingly after Italian maestro Gianluca Vialli finally broke the deadlock after the interval. Vialli's 50th-minute strike, his third for the club, should have been part of a goal banquet - and Vialli should have helped himself to a hat-trick as Gullit's eager ensemble sought to shake off the ignominy of conceding eight goals in the space of five days to Liverpool and Blackpool. Forest must still be wondering how they survived a frantic 10-minute burst immediately before the break as Chelsea chased the minimum demand of all three points. Vialli had already spurned two glorious chances in the space of a minute, rifling a shot against the crossbar after eight minutes and then seeing a 12-yard shot smothered by keeper Mark Crossley. But that was nothing compared to the dramatic pre-interval action when defender Dan Petrescu twice lifted shots over the bar from six yards, Mark Hughes misdirected a close-range header and Roberto Di Matteo screwed a shot wide from in front of goal. Forest started the second half with Lee in place of Bryan Roy who had tested Kevin Hitchcock as early as the second minute and had represented the biggest threat. But it was Chelsea who extended their assault for Vialli to give the faithful something to celebrate after 50 minutes. Vialli fastened on to a pass from Scott Minto and ran square across the box before tucking a low 15-yard shot inside the left-hand post. 
That should have been the signal for Chelsea to stroll away with the points. Instead Vialli wasted another excellent opportunity while Crossley played his part by keeping out Hughes' acrobatic volley after 67 minutes and later twice denying Vialli. And it was a quickly-taken clearance by Crossley that opened the way for Forest's shock equaliser. England defender Stuart Pearce picked out Lee with a prodigious pass and the striker sent a half-volley over Hitchcock and in off the far post. 
Chelsea: (3-5-2) Hitchcock, Petrescu, Leboeuf, Clarke, Vialli, Hughes, Wise, Duberry, Burley, Di Matteo, Minto. Subs not used: Spencer, Lee, Johnsen, Morris, Grodas. Booked: Duberry, Leboeuf, Hughes, Minto. Nottm Forest: (3-5-2) Crossley, Lyttle (McGregor, 88), Pearce, Cooper, Bart-Williams (Allen, 75), Phillips, Saunders, Woan, Jerkan, Haaland, Roy (Lee, 45). Subs not used: Gemmill, Fettis. Booked: Haaland. Attendance: 27,673. Referee: G Poll (Tring). |
