Chelsea 's winning run in the Premier League was brought to an end by 10-man Nottingham Forest as the game ended in a huge brawl.

Enzo Maresca 's side were chasing a fourth victory in a row to shore up their place in the top four. However, the Blues needed a brilliant solo equaliser from Noni Madueke to cancel out Chris Wood's goal early in the second half, before things got heated.

Chelsea bombarded the visitors and looked likely to go on and win when James Ward-Prowse was dismissed for handling the ball as Nicolas Jackson threatened to race through on goal. But Forest, who also lost England forward Morgan Gibbs-White to injury, survived a frantic 13 minutes of stoppage time.

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Goalkeepers Robert Sanchez and Matz Sels both produced remarkable saves and Forest battled to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge to maintain their own strong start to the season and leave with a point. And their fighting spirit was clear.

A late touchline brawl erupted between a number of players and staff from both teams, after Blues defender Marc Cucurella was nudged by Forest man Neco Williams as he chased down a ball near the halfway line.

Speaking on The Sunday Session for talkSPORT, Sam Ellard said: "I think we have a every single player and 20 different members of staff in a melee. That was like the Royal Rumble."

Maresca's second string had outclassed Gent in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, but as has become customary this season, all XI were dropped to make way for what the head coach clearly considers to be his strongest side.

That meant a return on the right wing for Madueke, who went close with the best chance of a quiet opening 25 minutes when firing over from the edge of the box.

The game came to life in the final five minutes of the half as first Sanchez was called on to beat away a fizzing drive from Forest's Murillo, then Cole Palmer hit a post with a shot that caught Aina and squeezed seemingly in slow motion through three defenders before finally landing in the grateful arms of Sels.

It had been a steely, disciplined half from Forest but their goal came against the run of play. Jackson tried to run beyond Forest's last man Ward-Prowse and in the process fouled him.

Ward-Prowse hit the free-kick deep from which Nikola Milenkovic peeled away to lose Malo Gusto and nodded it back centrally. As the ball dropped in the six-yard box, Wood darted in front of Moises Caicedo and toed it beyond the reach of Sanchez.

But Forest's lead lasted all of eight minutes. Madueke had not scored in the league since hitting a hat-trick against Wolves in August but he drew Chelsea level with unerring accuracy, collecting Palmer's pass and cutting inside to send a shot inside the far post behind the unsighted Sels.

Sels produced an outstanding double stop from Palmer before tensions boiled over into a melee involving virtually all 22 players plus substitutes when Neco Williams shoved Marc Cucurella off the pitch.

Joao Felix headed wide from Pedro Neto's cross at the start of a breathless added period as Maresca turned to his gilded bench, then at the other end Sanchez brilliantly denied Williams.

Sels was again Forest's hero when he dived to turn away Christopher Nkunku's bullet header, then Sanchez perhaps bettered it with a stop of his own from Jota Silva.