At the final whistle, both teams were in disbelief that the game was even.

A bad-tempered duel that saw Forest reduced to ten men in the closing stages culminated in a mesmerizing 13 minutes of stoppage time in which both goalkeepers, Robert Sanchez and Matz Sels, pulled off incredible saves to secure a point.

A draw was a reality check for Chelsea after five consecutive wins in all competitions, but it could have been worse.

Forest took the lead early in the second half when Nikola Milenkovic took a free-kick for Chris Wood and headed it past Sanchez. Despite all their possession, Chelsea were largely frustrated by the excellent Sels, but quickly responded to going behind. Deflected by Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke cut inside and curled a low left-footed shot into the far corner to equalize for Chelsea.

This sparked more sustained pressure from the home team, whose cause was helped by James Ward-Prowse’s red card for grabbing the ball as he stumbled on the halfway line as Nicolas Jackson threatened to break away.

But when tensions later escalated into a clash between players and staff near the touchline, the game culminated in a flurry of chances for both sides, all of which were canceled out by the outstanding performance of the goalkeepers.

Liam Twomey analyzes the key talking points of a hectic occasion at Stamford Bridge.

Was Maresca’s realism proven right before the game?

Some may have found Enzo Maresca overly pessimistic when he insisted in his pre-match media comments that Chelsea were not ready to compete with Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, but this game laid the foundation for his thinking .

It was always clear that Forest, who frustrated Liverpool at Anfield and then excelled from the deepest blocks, would pose the exact opposite challenge to hyper-aggressive Brighton last weekend. At times Chelsea appeared well prepared, particularly in possession, but long before Wood opened the scoring they looked ill-equipped to deal with their more physical opponents on dead balls.

Maresca looks on (Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images)

After going behind, Chelsea showed good character, stuck to the plan and were rewarded with Madueke’s equalizer, but the way they managed the game after Ward-Prowse’s hilarious red card showed how far their collective problem-solving still has to go, to achieve the goal elite.

Forest countered from a motivated deep block and created at least as many chances as Chelsea to win the game in the final minutes, and Maresca credits Sanchez with several brilliant saves that averted an embarrassing defeat.

Forest are difficult, talented opponents, but there are plenty of them in the Premier League. On a weekend where both City and Arsenal found a way to win in trouble, Chelsea’s two dropped points at Stamford Bridge are a valuable lesson for their young team and a depressing form of rehabilitation for Maresca.

Was Madueke a man under pressure?

When the ball shot past Sels into the far corner in the 57th minute, Madueke had no desire to roll away in front of the Matthew Harding stand. Instead, he turned around and immediately jogged back to the Chelsea bench on the halfway line, where he had a lively, smiling exchange with his teammates behind head coach Maresca.

His demeanor exuded more relief than celebration, and not just because his equalizer had given Chelsea life against a stubborn Forest.

Madueke had gone five club games without a goal or assist since his memorable hat-trick against Wolves at Molineux last month and you can be sure no one was more aware of this fact than Madueke himself.

Madueke had endured a quiet run of games (Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images)

No player on the field was more aggressive from the start and looked for their own shot; Madueke cut through Alex Moreno and fired a low shot past Sels’ near post in the 10th minute. For most of the first half it felt like he was forcing it a bit, hitting a right-footed cross out of play while his teammates were well placed, and another left-footed attempt when close Traffic shot over the crossbar just outside Forest’s penalty area.

But that aggressiveness was much needed, especially after Chelsea fell behind. Madueke was the only player in Maresca’s team who could consistently gain an advantage and he tested Moreno at every opportunity. On the other hand, Jadon Sancho lacked the pace to carry out his clever maneuvers and feints and Palmer struggled to find space more than usual.

Madueke created Chelsea’s best scoring chance of the first half, advancing past Moreno to the byline and forcing Sels before playing the ball back to Palmer. The visitors’ goalkeeper was more than lucky to parry the ball off the post.

In the 57th minute it paid off for Madueke and Chelsea. The pressure for his place is a constant in a squad like this and the fact that Pedro Neto – a newer, more expensive signing – scored against Barrow and Gent will have stuck in Madueke’s mind. These concerns will now ease somewhat.

How good can this centre-back partnership be?

The most memorable moment of the first half was Levi Colwill clenching his fists on his knees while being hugged by Robert Sanchez after making a brilliant, potentially goal-saving block from Ryan Yates. The most memorable moment of the second half saw Colwill angrily tackle Forest substitute Neco Williams, sparking a mass brawl in front of the home bench.

Colwill was largely outstanding here, confident in possession and intelligent in his interpretation of defensive situations, as well as providing lively leadership when he felt teammate Marc Cucurella needed defending.

He looks every bit the Chelsea captain, but is only one half of a promising central defense pairing.

Colwill was excellent (Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images)

Wesley Fofana was also very impressive, battling Chris Wood while Colwill covered the space behind him. His forward instinct and vertical leap made this a truly competitive encounter, and at times it felt like he was Chelsea’s only effective defense against Forest’s aerial attacks from set pieces.

The fact that both apparently experienced physical discomfort will worry Maresca.

Colwill revealed early in the second half that he had felt a tug high on the back of his left leg, while the sight of Fofana moving more laboriously with the ever-present kinesio tape around his left knee is always a cause for concern.

A fully fit Fofana has impressed so far this season (Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images)

Both could be given time to recover during the international break – although Fofana and Cucurella will miss the trip to Liverpool on October 20 after both picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season this afternoon.

What did Enzo Maresca say?

We will bring you the Chelsea head coach’s assessment once he has completed his post-match media duties.

What’s next for Chelsea?

Sunday, October 20th: Liverpool (Away), Premier League, 4:30pm UK, 11:30am ET

After the international window at Anfield, where Chelsea won the Premier League once in a decade, a mouth-watering game awaits.

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(Top photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)