Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream played against Chelsea in a West London derby and came out empty-handed. Matt Turner took responsibility for letting in a goal that he believed to have been savable, but he came away with a point despite being a man down for the majority of the match against Brentford.
Fulham 0-2 Chelsea
Jedi Robinson’s Fulham, led by American veteran and club captain Tim Ream, faced defeat against Chelsea in a West London clash.
Levi Colwill’s splendid left-sided pass found Mykhailo Mudryk, who skillfully controlled it and slotted it past Bernd Leno, marking his inaugural Chelsea goal and granting them the lead in this match. Merely 20 seconds later, the visitors found the net once more. Cole Palmer seized possession after Tim Ream’s poor pass to Robinson and set up Broja, who confidently extended the lead.
Throughout the first half, the away team dominated, though they didn’t manage to add another goal before the interval. Nevertheless, they held a comfortable 2-0 advantage.
The second half witnessed a slight decrease in intensity, but both teams still had opportunities. Substitute Ian Maatsen, who took over for Mudryk, struck the woodwork with a precise left-footed shot. Enzo Fernandez’s follow-up attempt was then denied by Leno. The second half remained goalless, securing Chelsea’s back-to-back victories.
It’s fair to say this wasn’t Ream’s or Robinson’s finest display, especially in the first half. The second goal came roughly 30 seconds after Mudryk’s first goal, and Ream completely made a mess out of it.
Watch the highlights here:
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Brentford
Ten-man Nottingham Forest, led by goalkeeper Matt Turner, staged a comeback from a goal down against Brentford. Nicolas Dominguez’s inaugural goal secured a point for the hosts.
The match, initially subdued in the first half, ignited early in the second when Moussa Niakhate received a red card for stepping on Yoane Wissa’s heel.
From the ensuing free-kick, Brentford’s captain, Christian Norgaard, propelled his team ahead with a powerful header from Mathias Jensen’s delivery, marking his first goal of the season. However, their lead was short-lived, as Argentina’s international player, Dominguez, who joined Forest from Bologna in September, executed a spectacular diving header, sending the ball over the visiting goalkeeper, Mark Flekken.
A victory for either side would have elevated them to 10th place, but on this rainy day in Nottingham, neither could find a second goal.
Despite coming out with a point despite the player disadvantage, the American goalkeeper’s performance in the second half of the match wasn’t up to par. He appeared unsettled early on after the break and may have been fortunate not to concede a penalty in the 52nd minute. Following the game, it was Forest’s player Turner who faced the press in the dressing room. He showed no inclination to downplay his mistake and took responsibility immediately.
He told BBC Sport on MOTD: “It’s frustrating. We want to be dominant in front of our own fans. It was an individual error by me. I should just catch it. I will work even harder on the training ground. We have to be proud of the response for sure. We hung in there. We’re happy to get a point.”
Watch the highlights here:
Notes:
Chris Richards came on as an 88th-minute substitute in Crystal Palace’s one-nil win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Auston Trusty came on as a 79th-minute substitute in Sheffield United’s 2-0 lost at West Ham.
USMNT captain Tyler Adams will be “out for some time” after suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said Saturday. Adams was not included in that Bournemouth squad that lost 4-0 to Arsenal.
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