Chelsea survived an early scare when Crystal Palace had an Eberechi Eze goal controversially disallowed in a scrappy 0-0 draw in the Premier League on Sunday.
Chelsea, whose last competitive outing was winning the Club World Cup last month, failed to stamp its authority on the game against the FA Cup holders in warm southwest London sunshine.
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The visitors looked to have taken the lead in the 13th minute but referee Darren England consulted the pitchside monitor and ruled Palace captain Marc Guehi, who shoved Moises Caicedo out of the way, was too close to Chelsea’s defensive wall when Eze took a free kick on the edge of the area.
Chelsea, which finished fourth last season and won the Conference League, gave starts to some of its recent youthful signings including Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens, but it was 18-year-old Brazilian substitute Estevao who made the most impact, with a lively performance down the right wing.
Nottingham Forest powers past poor Brentford
Nottingham Forest piled more misery on depleted Brentford as new winger Dan Ndoye scored his first goal for the club in Sunday’s 3-1 win in the Premier League.
Keith Andrews, who took on his first managerial role at Brentford after Thomas Frank left for Tottenham Hotspur, saw his team outplayed from the outset as Chris Wood scored a first-half brace which, along with Ndoye’s goal, gave Forest a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime.
Brentford were unable to mount a comeback in the second half, with Igor Thiago’s goal from the penalty spot in the 78th minute being their only consolation.
Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has at least two more signings to integrate as James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson were unveiled before the game.
