EPL: Nottingham Forest Rout Chelsea to Edge Closer to Premier League Safety

Chelsea slump to sixth straight defeat in loss to Forest

Chelsea lost their sixth league game in a row, their worst run since 1993, with Igor Jesus and Awoniyi punishing a youthful Forest lineup.
 

Joao Pedro’s late bicycle kick ended Chelsea’s nine-hour goal drought but couldn’t prevent a defeat that leaves the Blues ninth and out of top-five contention...

Nottingham Forest cruised to a 3-1 Premier League victory over a lackluster Chelsea, moving closer to safety while extending their unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge to four games with two wins and two draws. 

Calum McFarlane had opened his interim reign with an FA Cup semifinal win over Leeds United, but any sign of a new-manager lift vanished less than two minutes into this match.

Dilane Bakwa delivered a cross that Taiwo Awoniyi met with a well-placed header past Robert Sanchez, taking full advantage of the chance created by Vitor Pereira’s lineup changes.  

Enzo Fernandez nearly answered immediately, but his curling shot clipped the far post, and Chelsea’s situation unraveled further soon after. 

A cross from the right caused Malo Gusto to panic and pull back Awoniyi, giving VAR no option but to point to the spot. Igor Jesus converted the penalty as the home crowd reacted to another low point.

Morato was the sole holdover in defense from Forest’s European lineup, and at 24 he anchored a back line that gave Luca Netz his first start and 19-year-old Zach Abbott only his second league appearance. 

A lapse in judgment from the young full-back handed Chelsea an undeserved opening just before halftime when he challenged debutant Jesse Derry for the ball and the two collided heads.

Play stopped for 10 minutes while the Blues youngster was stretchered off, and Cole Palmer failed to keep his composure, seeing his penalty stopped by Matz Sels.

Seven matches unbeaten, with four victories in that time.@NFFC are in fine form 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Peyr5oXCNm

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 4, 2026

Levi Colwill’s return from injury marked a boost at the start of the second half, but it was Forest’s substitutes who had the bigger impact. Morgan Gibbs-White came on and set up Awoniyi for his second goal after VAR confirmed the tight offside decision was in Forest’s favor.

Gibbs-White’s time on the pitch was cut short when another heavy collision forced both him and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez off the field.

Joao Pedro believed he had finally ended Chelsea’s nine-hour Premier League goal drought, but his effort was ruled out for offside.

He did break the dry spell in stoppage time with an acrobatic bicycle kick, though the game was already out of reach. 

Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat is their sixth league loss in a row, their worst run since 1993, and leaves them ninth with the top five now mathematically unreachable.  

A six-point gap opens up between @NFFC and the bottom three 📊👏 pic.twitter.com/4IcPCnZGfy

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 4, 2026

Forest sit six points above the relegation zone with three matches left, effectively safe after a seven-game unbeaten streak. They can now focus on the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa.