Through Serge Aurier’s wonderful touch and control paired with a half-volley nutmeg after Raheem Sterling capitalised on a rebound off of the crossbar to put Chelsea ahead, the Reds gained a point from their New Year's Day fixture.
Nottingham Forest did not have the best run of success leading up to the World Cup, but they have shown that they can battle with the best, having previously defeated Liverpool and Tottenham, as well as narrowly matching Potter's Chelsea.
The Blues produced a poor performance in the second half, handing the initiative to Forest, with only two efforts on target and a measly expected goal percentage of 0.26.
Chelsea move to eighth in the table, moving a point ahead of Brighton, and Forest remain in the relegation zone but moving up one place above Wolverhampton.
Nottingham Forest
Dean Henderson (6/10): Made a couple of conventional saves near the first half's conclusion, but didn't have much involvement as Chelsea only managed two shots on target. When the ball fell for Sterling, he was caught off guard.
Serge Aurier (7.5/10): Delivered home a deserving equaliser using his chest and poked his half-volley through the legs of Kepa. However, he was often left overexposed in his position, allowing Chelsea to score in the first half.
Joe Worrall (7/10): Helped minimise Chelsea's opportunities on goal, but should have done better to deny the cross that led to Sterling's goal.
Willy Boly (8.5/10): Used his height to deliver the ball down for Aurier to smash a half-volley to equalise, but was unlucky to miss the chip for Sterling's goal.
Renan Lodi (7/10): Like the majority of his teammates, he improved after the break. He did well to be attacking in Chelsea's half, as Forest dominated the visitors.
Remo Freuler (7.5/10): Had struggled to make an impact in the first 45 minutes, but contributed to a strong second half. Ensured that the visitors saw less of the ball after the end of the first half.
Orel Mangala (6/10): As Forest improved in the second half when they lifted the tempo, Mangala provided some slick and accurate passes.
Ryan Yates (6.5/10): Earned his 150th appearance for Forest, and put in a solid shift in the middle of the park. He used his aggression and passion to halt Chelsea’s attacking threat.
Brennan Johnson (7/10): Had an early chance in the 10th minute when he was sent through on goal by Gibbs-White but was kept out by the Chelsea keeper. Continued to threaten the visitor’s back line, and fired two more unsuccessful attempts on goal.
Morgan Gibbs-White (8/10): The driving force for Forest. He came in place of Jesse Lingard and provided a significant boost to the matchday squad. He was brilliant in the number 10 role, supplying through balls to his forwards and was unlucky not to score a screamer.
Taiwo Awoniyi (7.5/10): With his strength and several tremendous runs, he caused havoc for Chelsea, and provided some good attacking threats.
Substitutes
Jack Colback (6/10): Introduced for Mangala in the 78th minute, his experience was essential for Forest to hold onto a point.
Sam Surridge (6/10): Replaced Johnson after his solid shift up front and helped see the game out in the 82nd minute.
Neco Williams (5/10): After his good performance Awoniyi made way for the defender, in what was a tactical formation change, but Williams was not on the pitch for long enough to make an impact.
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga (7/10): The Spaniard did well to keep the surprising threat of the Forest attack out in the second half, and made a good double save to keep Johnson from scoring. There was not much he could do as he was nutmegged by Aurier’s volley.
Marc Cucurella (7/10): Chelsea’s quickest fullback did well defensively, winning the most duels in the match (8), and was the game’s most accurate passer.
Thiago Silva (7/10): Shown his years of experience on the pitch, providing control at the back and was comfortable on the ball. However, his age was a weakness when it came to defending against counterattacks.
Kalidou Koulibaly (6/10): Won most of his duels and provided accurate passes, but was sometimes exposed at times in the back line.
César Azpilicueta (6/10): As Reece James suffered another injury setback, and with Ben Chilwell out for the foreseeable future, Chelsea will have to rely on Azpilicueta as their fullback option for the next few games. The captain put in an average shift but allowed Forest to counterattack too many times on his 495th game for his club.
Jorginho (5/10): The Italian played a higher role up the pitch than previously expected, leaving his centrebacks exposed at times, and struggled to get into the game due to a rough midfield battle.
Denis Zakaria (7/10): The Juventus loanee rarely puts a foot wrong and proved his worth, which should prompt Chelsea to get out the chequebook to secure his services. He was substituted early into the second half to ensure his fitness.
Christain Pulisic (8/10): His back-to-back appearance proved vital for the Blues as he set up Sterling for the first goal, using a pinpoint cross and his winding dribbling.
Mason Mount (5/10): Was lost and overpowered in the central attacking role, and did not provide enough which prompted Graham Potter to take him off for a more offensive forward.
Raheem Sterling (7.5/10): Matched the energy that Forest brang to the table and pounced on the mistake made by Boly, but was eventually substituted in the 72nd minute.
Kai Havertz (4/10): Havertz moved deep late on in the game to allow Aubameyang to make more of an attacking threat. The German could not improve on his recent performances and did not provide any shots on target.
Substitutes
Mateo Kovacic (5/10): Came on for Zakaria in the 61st minute, but failed to make much of an impact.
Conor Gallagher (6/10): Helped Chelsea come back from the losing midfield battle and used his athleticism to help see the match out.
Hakim Ziyech (6.5/10): Came on and jumped straight into the action - provided some decent opportunities through crosses and handed Aubameyang a chance on a plate.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (6.5/10): Could not finish the chance given by Ziyech but provided some good efforts late into the game.
Carney Chukwuemeka (4/10): Came on late for Pulisic in the 87th minute and did not provide much to impact the result.
