Chelsea was unable to secure two consecutive victories after a lively draw at Nottingham Forest to kick off 2023.
The team had hoped to maintain its momentum following a morale-boosting win over Bournemouth on Tuesday, which ended a streak of three consecutive league defeats before the mid-season break.
At halftime, Chelsea was in a good position to reduce the gap to the top four thanks to an early goal from Raheem Sterling. However, after the break, Forest was invigorated by its home crowd and managed to earn a draw through a goal from ex-Tottenham full-back Serge Aurier.
Forest is now undefeated in five home matches as it fights to avoid relegation to the Championship.
Chelsea, on the other hand, has only won three of its nine away games this season and has already conceded more goals on the road this season than it did during the entirety of the previous season.
Chelsea has a tough double-header coming up against Manchester City in the league and FA Cup.
