Chelsea manager Graham Potter reflected on the draw his side came away from Nottingham Forest's The City Ground with on New Year's Day, saying that he was "...concerned we didn't deserve the win."
Despite an early goal from Raheem Sterling, gifted to the away side after a defensive clearance went awry, Chelsea failed to see out the victory and the single point gained leaves the Londoners sitting eighth in the Premier League table and Potter with just fifteen points registered in ten league games in charge.
Forest's Fight -
Nottingham Forest Captain Ryan Yates offered an insight into how the home side clawed their way back into the match. Speaking to Sky Sports, Yates told reporters that his teammate Serge Aurier's second half goal came following some tough talking at half time from their manager Steve Cooper.
Yates recalled his manager's motivational words at the break, saying:
"He [Steve Cooper] just said 'believe in yourselves more' - the first 20 minutes we were too passive we gave them way too much respect. We were a goal behind and we needed to give the fans something to get out of their seats for.
"We were quite tired towards the end we put so much into that first 60 minutes but we're pleased. We still need to be better we're not happy with always drawing games at home but it's a step in the right direction."
And Cooper went as far as to say that he believed his side, who remain in the bottom three of the league, were the better team overall and unlucky not to come away with the three points.
"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. We should take a bit spirit from the performance and a bit of internal credit for the work the players are doing."
Chelsea Crumbled -
Opposition manager Potter agreed with Cooper's assessment, saying that his Chelsea side's overall performance was not good enough.
"Our performance level wasn't good enough to take the three points. We didn't move the ball fast enough, not enough movement. But it would've been unfair to take the three points."
"When the game became a bit more out of control we suffered with the duels and struggled to deal with that aspect. It's a tough game, Forest played a good game but we're disappointed with our performance over the 90 minutes and concerned we didn't deserve the win."
Europe Expects -
Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, Potter gave his verdict on where Chelsea's top four ambitions should lie, and how "consistency" is the key to giving themselves the best opportunity to compete for those limited UEFA Champions League places. Potter said:
"For us it's about the next game and trying to improve, we have a long way to go so it would be a mistake to think about what could happen in five months time. We need to be more consistent. It would help to get players back, the key ones and then you can build consistency in key places."
Chelsea's next match comes against Premier League 2021-22 Champions Manchester City in just a few days time, and with injuries to key members of the squad continuing to cause headaches for the Chelsea coaching staff, Potter will be glad to see that the January transfer window has now opened. But, the Chelsea manager, who has not yet been able to make any of his own signings remained tight-lipped on the matter, saying: "Until someone has told me they have been signed it would be unfair of me to comment."