Home ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE EPL Chelsea Slump Continues as Forest Secure Crucial Win at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea Slump Continues as Forest Secure Crucial Win at Stamford Bridge

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Chelsea Vs Nottingham Forest
Chelsea’s goal drought ends too late in defeat to Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest beat Chelsea 3-1 on Monday, compounding the Blues’ attacking struggles and defensive issues under Calum McFarlane while edging closer to Premier League safety.  


Forest took advantage of Chelsea’s poor form with a 3-1 away win, leaving the Blues still without a league goal from open play until Joao Pedro’s 92nd-minute strike...
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Chelsea welcomed a struggling Nottingham Forest side on Monday, and with Forest naming eight changes to the team that played their last match, the Blues likely assumed three points and a straightforward outing were on the cards.


Forest have the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa on Thursday, which clearly shaped Vitor Pereira’s decision to rotate his starting lineup.


Chelsea’s Attack Dries Up as Pressure Mounts

Chelsea had dropped to ninth in the Premier League after a miserable stretch that saw them lose five consecutive top-flight games without scoring a single goal, a run the club hadn’t endured since 1912.


Their only wins in that period came in the FA Cup, but that wasn’t enough to save Liam Rosenior’s job. He was replaced until season’s end by Calum McFarlane.


Forest, by contrast, had found some momentum with six matches unbeaten, including a 5-0 away victory at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. Even so, they were still only three points clear of the relegation zone.


Chelsea had also been unbeaten against Forest since September 2023, meaning the Midlands side needed a strong showing to stand any chance of coming away with all three points.


Forest Strike Early to Compound Chelsea’s Misery

Forest needed just 1:23 to make their mark, with Taiwo Awoniyi given far too much space in the Chelsea area to head home from close range.


The goal highlighted Chelsea’s defensive frailties once again, as it was the ninth time they’d conceded within the opening 15 minutes this season. Only Burnley with 13 and West Ham with 10 have a worse record in that period.




It was Forest’s quickest goal of the 2025/26 campaign and a significant one too. The visitors hadn’t lost all season after scoring first, while Chelsea had failed to win any of their last five matches when conceding first.


Enzo Fernandez’s shot off the post in the 10th minute marked Chelsea’s first attempt of the match. Five minutes later, Malo Gusto brought down Awoniyi in the box, and Igor Jesus stepped up to convert the penalty with composure...


Chelsea supporters made their frustration clear right away, with boos directed at the board ringing out loudly and lasting for some time.


Falling two goals behind did jolt the home side into action, yet despite managing three shots and holding 76% possession, they couldn’t force Matz Sels into any real saves in the Forest goal.



Palmer’s Penalty Miss Sums Up Chelsea’s Frustration

Luca Netz’s defensive work was key in shutting down Chelsea’s midfield, making four tackles that kept Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer at bay. Dilane Bakwa also impressed with six successful duels from eight, while James McAtee contested 10 one-on-one situations.


Right before the break Chelsea did earn a free kick after Jesse Derry was caught in the air. The collision forced the Premier League debutant off on a stretcher and he was taken to hospital for further assessment.


When Cole Palmer stepped up for the penalty, Matz Sels dived the correct way to keep it out, and Chelsea’s wait for a goal went on.




Forest made three changes at halftime and one of them, Morgan Gibbs-White, immediately made an impact by setting up Taiwo Awoniyi for Forest’s third with 40 minutes remaining.


That was one of only four shots on target for Forest all match, a clinical return that stood in sharp contrast to Chelsea, who have struggled to find the net for weeks. 


From their 21 attempts in the game, the Blues managed just five on target.


Lacklustre Blues Run Out of Time

It’s an issue Liam Rosenior couldn’t fix, and on the evidence of this performance, Calum McFarlane doesn’t look likely to solve it either in the handful of games left this season.


Even with 20 minutes remaining Chelsea kept pushing forward, attempting 19 crosses and trying to stay on the front foot. But the attacking players often looked uninspired and appeared to lack urgency in their approach.


Liam Delap’s two wayward efforts summed up their struggle on the day. Oddly, Chelsea’s passing was sharp throughout, with most players recording completion rates above 90%.


Yet neat passing sequences with no end product amount to little when results are on the line.


Joao Pedro’s Overhead Kick a Rare Bright Spot

Chelsea’s late pressure finally produced something in the 92nd minute when João Pedro acrobatically volleyed home an overhead kick for a consolation goal. It was his 15th league goal of the season and ended Chelsea’s 634-minute scoring drought in the Premier League.


By that point most of the Stamford Bridge crowd had already departed, meaning they missed what could easily be Chelsea’s goal of the season.




The defensive effort was just as concerning, with the entire backline managing only one successful tackle across the 90 minutes. That lack of impact shows how much work Calum McFarlane faces if he’s to steer Chelsea back into European contention, a target the club’s owners will almost certainly expect.


For Forest, the win should secure their Premier League safety even if they can still be caught on paper, allowing them to focus fully on reaching the Europa League final.
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