Reece James leaves Cole Palmer speechless with what he said after Chelsea's win over Nottingham Forest

Reece James left Cole Palmer almost speechless with what he said after Chelsea's comeback win against Nottingham Forest.

On Saturday Chelsea claimed a 3-2 win away at Forest, and they had to fight extremely hard to get it.

Mauricio Pochettino's side went ahead early on through a cool Mykhailo Mudryk finish, but were soon pegged back when Willy Boly headed the home side level.

Things got worse when Callum Hudson-Odoi put Forest ahead with just 15 minutes left to play, seemingly condemning his former club to a 12th league defeat of the season and damaging their bid to qualify for Europe.

Chelsea dug deep though and scored two goals in three minutes, courtesy of Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson, to secure a 3-2 victory and keep alive hopes of a sixth-place finish.

The unusual thing about Chelsea's win was that it didn't involve a goal for Cole Palmer, who is currently second in the Premier League Golden Boot race with 21 strikes.

The youngster did play a major role in the win though, providing a stunning pass to set up Mudryk for the opener.

Palmer is now join-second in the assist charts with 10, meaning he has recorded a remarkable 31 goal contributions in 32 league outings this season.

After the game, Sky Sports spoke to Palmer and his Chelsea teammate Reece James. What the Chelsea captain said about Palmer left the 22-year-old almost speechless.

"Cole is one of the best in the world, I think personally," James said.

"You've seen what he can do when he gets his chance. At Man City he probably didn't play as much as he wanted. He came here and took the opportunity with both hands."

When asked how James' praise made him feel, Palmer paused for a moment then replied: "I wouldn't go that far, but obviously it's nice to hear.

"I'm just trying to keep my feet on the ground, taking it as it comes. It's all new to me you know, my first season properly playing in the league.

"But to come to Chelsea and come to a group of lads who have welcomed me like this, it's been a pleasure."

Chelsea will look to keep up the pressure on sixth-place Newcastle when they travel to Brighton on Wednesday.

Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports

Topics: Chelsea, Reece James, Cole Palmer, Nottingham Forest, Premier League, Football

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

@alex_brotherton