Cole Palmer missed a penalty for Chelsea (Image: Getty)
Chelsea’s season plunged to a dispiriting new low as Nottingham Forest won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to condemn them to a sixth consecutive Premier League defeat. It had already been the club’s worst run of league form since 1912 but just when it looked like there were no fresh crises left to visit them, Forest’s second-string XI arrived in west London and blitzed Chelsea with two goals by Taiwo Awoniyi – the first after 98 seconds – and a penalty from Igor Jesus. Victory moves Vitor Pereira’s side six points clear of the relegation zone.
The Blues’ five-game scoring drought had almost reached six by the time Joao Pedro’s stoppage-time overhead kick gave them their first league goal since March 4. The ridiculousness of that run had earlier been laid bare when Cole Palmer had a first-half penalty saved by stand-in goalkeeper Matz Sels. Express Sport rates and slates the Blues after a grim defeat…
Chelsea player ratings vs Forest
Robert Sanchez – 5
Sanchez has faced intense scrutiny for some time now, but there’s nothing he could have done to prevent Forest from opening the scoring or extending their advantage. Was forced off injured.
Cucurella had a troublesome afternoon. Dilane Bakwa, who provided the assist for the opener, got the better of the Chelsea defender on numerous occasions.
Awoniyi drifted away from Chalobah to create space at the back post when he handed Forest the lead after merely a couple of minutes.
“Slow down,” shouted Tosin shortly after Chelsea fell behind in the first half, which is ironic following a careless start. Of course, the Blues defender wanted his team-mates to exercise greater care in possession and establish some momentum, but that matters very little when the issue lies closer to home.
Gusto gave away the penalty that handed Forest the opportunity to extend their lead, committing a reckless foul inside the box. He also didn’t do well for the opener, having made no effort to defend the space left by Chalobah at the back post. That said, Gusto did deliver a couple of decent crosses in the second half, but there wasn’t much worth celebrating.
Caicedo bore some responsibility for the third goal of the afternoon, losing track of his marker, Morgan Gibbs-White, as Forest surged through behind the defence. On the whole, Chelsea found it difficult to penetrate the opposition’s deep-lying defensive structure, and neither he, Lavia, nor Fernandez discovered an answer to the challenge.
Chelsea have lost all of their last six Premier League matches (Image: Getty)
Lavia kept possession in midfield but he was culpable of opting for ‘safe’ choices on several occasions. That’s according to the home supporters, whose groans swiftly transformed into choice words that we can’t repeat when he passed backwards instead of forwards.
Derry received a baptism of fire in the Premier League. The Chelsea winger seldom shied away from the opportunity to take on the opposition full-back, despite limited success. It was his courage, resolve, and boldness that secured the Blues a penalty just before the interval, though, contesting an aerial challenge with Zach Abbott that many would have avoided. Hopefully, he’s alright.
Fernandez fashioned many of the precious few opportunities that Chelsea generated in the opening period. The Blues midfielder wasn’t reluctant to receive possession, but he had little success in closing the gap.
Palmer scarcely got a look-in. The Chelsea midfielder was virtually invisible. The Blues required someone to rise to the occasion and haul them out of this slump, but he failed to deliver. Missing the penalty didn’t help his confidence whatsoever. A brief moment of quality at the death wasn’t enough to rescue a good rating.
Joao Pedro didn’t see as much of the ball as McFarlane would have liked in the opening half, yet he still showed glimpses of quality. When the ball did eventually drop to the Chelsea striker inside the box, he found the net… only to be flagged offside. Cruel. Though it ultimately meant nothing, Joao Pedro produced a stunning bicycle kick in stoppage time that was worthy of any highlight reel.
Substitutes
Liam Delap – 5
Delap was barely in the game. The Chelsea striker chased down a handful of wayward passes, but had next to no involvement in the Forest box.
This was far from the comeback to first-team football that Colwill would have been dreaming of. Calum McFarlane could scarcely have demanded more from the Chelsea defender. Simply encouraging to see him back out on the pitch.
Santos linked up neatly with Fernandez on one occasion to bypass the press. Beyond that, the Chelsea midfielder was largely recycling possession and playing sideways balls when confronted by a deep defensive block.
Jorgensen was rarely called into action.