System collapse — Chelsea are out of UCL after loss to Nottingham Forest’s second team

Chelsea are definitely no longer the club they once were — and evidence of that can be found in their recent performances. Today’s match completely threw the London side off balance. Nottingham Forest, who rested their squad for the Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa, managed to comfortably defeat a team that should be fighting for European places, but failed to show it on the pitch. In the end, Joao Pedro at least managed to bring a few smiles with a beautiful goal.

Nottingham Forest made a dream start to their clash against Chelsea, taking the lead after just two minutes. A sharp break saw Bakwa glide past Cucurella with ease before delivering a precise cross for Awoniyi, who met it perfectly with a composed header past Robert Sánchez to silence the home crowd early on.

Chelsea responded quickly and came agonisingly close in the 11th minute when Enzo Fernandez picked up the ball after a cleared free-kick, shifted it onto his right foot, and curled a brilliant effort from the edge of the box that crashed off the far post.

However, things went from bad to worse for the Blues in the 12th minute. Awoniyi found himself in a harmless-looking situation inside the box, but Malo Gusto pulled him down unnecessarily. Initially, Anthony Taylor waved play on, but after a VAR review, the decision was overturned and a penalty was awarded. Igor Jesus stepped up and calmly converted, doubling Forest’s lead to 2–0.

Chelsea tried to respond, with Cole Palmer testing Matz Sels from the edge of the area in the 18th minute, but his effort went just wide. Igor Jesus then came close again in the 33rd minute with a volley from the edge of the box, but Sánchez was equal to it.

Forest remained dangerous on the break. Derry tried his luck from distance in the 35th minute, but his shot went straight at Sels, while McAtee almost made it three a minute later when his deflected effort from range flew narrowly wide.

As the half drew to a close, Malo Gusto had another tame attempt easily saved, but the biggest drama came in first-half stoppage time. A collision in the box between 18-year-old debutant Jesse Derry and Zach Abbott led to a serious-looking injury for Derry. Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty after consulting with VAR, but the young Chelsea forward had to be stretchered off and replaced by Liam Delap, while Abbott also left the pitch after receiving treatment, with Neco Williams coming on.

Palmer then took responsibility from the spot, but Sels produced a superb diving save to his right to deny him. Even the rebound failed to bring relief for Chelsea, as Sels reacted quickly again to smother the follow-up and preserve Forest’s two-goal lead heading into halftime.

The second half at Chelsea began in the worst possible way for the home side, as Nottingham Forest looked to have completely sealed the contest in the 52nd minute. Once again, Awoniyi punished Chelsea’s defensive gaps, finishing calmly after being played through, grabbing his second goal of the match and his third overall for Forest. Morgan Gibbs-White, who had just come on at half-time, provided the assist. There was a brief VAR check for offside, but the goal stood, confirming Forest’s commanding advantage.

The game was then disrupted in the 61st minute by a worrying incident. In a 50-50 aerial challenge, Gibbs-White and Robert Sanchez collided heavily head-to-head. Both players required lengthy medical attention as play was halted. Sanchez was able to get back to his feet with a bandaged head, but Gibbs-White looked far worse and eventually had to be substituted, with Wood coming on for Forest. Chelsea also had to make a change, replacing Sanchez with Jorgensen. The incident cast a shadow over the match, with concern later growing over Gibbs-White’s availability for Forest’s upcoming European fixture.

Chelsea, despite struggling for much of the match, finally thought they had found a breakthrough in the 73rd minute. Joao Pedro finished from close range after a low cross from Cucurella, initially saved by Matz Sels but bundled in on the rebound. However, celebrations were short-lived. VAR reviewed the move and ruled that Pedro had been in an offside position when the ball was played across, disallowing the goal and keeping Forest firmly in control at 3–0.

In the 85th minute, Palmer tried his luck with a long-range effort from around 20 meters out, but Nottingham Forest’s goalkeeper was in line with the rest of the match and continued making solid saves.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Chelsea finally produced a moment of quality — Cucurella sent a header towards Joao Pedro, who executed a spectacular bicycle kick to beat Sels, earning at least some applause from the Chelsea fans and making it 3–1 on the scoreboard.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 35

Friday

Leeds United - Burnley 3-1 (1-0)

/Stach 8, Okafor 52, Calvert-Lewin 56 - Tchaouna 71/

Saturday

Brentford - West Ham 3-0 (1-0)

/Mavropanos 12 og, Thiago 54 pen, Daamsgard 82/

Newcastle - Brighton 3-1 (2-0)

/Osula 12, Burn 24, Barnes 90+5 - Hinshelwood 61/

Wolves - Sunderland 1-1 (0-1)

/Bueno 54 - Mukiele 17/

Arsenal - Fulham 3-0 (3-0)

/Gyokeres 9, 45+4 Saka 40/

Sunday

Bournemouth - Crystal Palace 3-0 (2-0)

/Lerma 10 (og), Kroupi 32 (p), Rayan 77/

Man.Utd. - Liverpool 3-2 (2-0)

/Cunha 6, Sesko 14, Mainoo 77 - Szoboszlai 47, Gakpo 56/

Aston Villa - Tottenham 1-2 (0-2)

/Buendia 90+6 - Gallagher 12, Richarlison 25/

Monday

Chelsea - Nott. Forest 1-3 (0-2)

/Pedro 90+3 - Awoniyi 2, 52, Jesus 15 pen/

22.00: (6.50) Everton (4.80) Man.City (1.50)

***odds are subject to change***