The 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest left Chelsea fans extremely angry, and they directed their frustration at a key midfielder.
The two teams drew at Stamford Bridge, ending Chelsea’s five-match winning streak. The Blues were surprisingly struck first by Chris Wood’s goal in the 50th minute, but Noni Madueke equalized just seven minutes later.
Despite James Ward-Prowse receiving a second yellow card in the 78th minute, Enzo Maresca’s team still couldn’t find a winning goal. The home side managed 21 shots on target, while Forest’s goalkeeper Matz Sels made seven crucial saves.
Notably, Chelsea fans expressed their anger towards one player after this draw, specifically midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The Blues spent a record transfer fee of £106.8 million to sign the Argentine midfielder from Benfica in January 2023. Despite initial struggles, Enzo has regularly started and was appointed captain during Reece James’ injury.
However, Enzo faced severe criticism for his performance against Forest on social media:
- “Unpleasant conversations about Enzo Fernandez will happen after this match.”
- “Enzo Fernandez is a big issue for us. He’s not playing well, and now that he is captain, we can’t just drop him.”
- “Enzo Fernandez … provides almost nothing.”
- “Enzo Fernandez played very poorly today.”
- “Enzo Fernandez was the worst player on the pitch.”
This was the first time Maresca’s team dropped points since September 1, but they have only won 1 out of 4 Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge this season.