Chelsea was held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday in the team's first competitive match as the club world champion.
A month after stunning Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea toiled in its league opener at Stamford Bridge after a short preseason because of its exertions in the United States.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, hit the ground running with a 3-1 win over Brentford, with striker Chris Wood — the team's top scorer last season with 20 goals — netting twice in the first half either side of a goal on debut by Dan Ndoye.
Later, Manchester United hosts Arsenal in the marquee match of the opening round, which has already seen wins for likely title contenders Liverpool and Manchester City.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
