Gibbs-White Suffers Head Injury in Forest Win, Doubt for Europa Semi

Robert Sanchez and Morgan Gibbs-White clash heads in Chelsea vs Forest match

Vitor Pereira said he hopes the medical team can work “magic” on Gibbs-White, who assisted Awoniyi before leaving the pitch.

The win extends Forest’s unbeaten run to 10 games and moves them six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone...

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira said he’s hoping for a medical miracle after Morgan Gibbs-White went off with a head injury in Monday’s 3-1 win at Chelsea, with the Europa League semi-final just three days away.

Gibbs-White, in red-hot form, started on the bench for the Premier League victory over a struggling Chelsea side. The win gave Forest another boost in their fight to avoid relegation.

Brought on at half-time, the England midfielder set up Taiwo Awoniyi’s 52nd-minute goal to make it 3-0 for Forest. He was taken off in the 66th minute after a head clash with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who also left the pitch.

Pereira expects Gibbs-White to be available for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Villa, despite scoring 10 Premier League goals and adding three assists since January. Forest take a 1-0 lead into the game. 

“He is speaking normally, he is remembering everything,” the Portuguese coach said, noting that Gibbs-White had suffered a deep cut.

Pereira said he didn’t expect Zach Abbott to have any problems after a head clash with Chelsea’s Jesse Derry, who was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Morgan Gibbs-White shared an update on Instagram after his nasty clash of heads against Chelsea 🤕 pic.twitter.com/rKdrrCTX3R

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 4, 2026

The former Wolves boss, appointed as Forest’s fourth head coach of the season in February, praised the spirit of a side now unbeaten in 10 games across all competitions.

He made eight changes from the team that started against Villa, leaving several key players on the bench, but Forest looked in control for most of the match against an error-prone Chelsea side lacking conviction. 

“I can change the players but I will not change for sure the spirit of this team,” Pereira said.

The result leaves Forest six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.