Chelsea left the City Ground with confidence restored and a convincing victory in hand. After a sluggish first half, Enzo Maresca’s men shifted gears and ruthlessly punished a shaky Nottingham Forest side.
Was this a do-or-die match for Ange Postecoglou? Despite his composed tone in the pre-match press conference, the Australian coach was under immense pressure to deliver a win and silence the growing doubts of owner Evangelos Marinakis. Instead, he watched his team collapse under the weight of their own limitations.
Chelsea arrived buzzing from their dramatic win over Liverpool and needed another three points to stay in touch with the league leaders.
Forest lined up in a tight 5-3-2, designed to frustrate Chelsea and exploit a potential weak spot: Malo Gusto’s unfamiliar midfield role. Usually a right-back, the former Lyon man struggled badly with his positioning and ball progression. Paired with Roméo Lavia on paper, the Belgian often found himself isolated — outnumbered and pressed by Forest’s energetic duo Anderson and Luiz.
Forest even created the better chances early on, twice through Morgan Gibbs-White, but the attacking midfielder lacked the cutting edge to make Chelsea pay.
Clearly unimpressed, Maresca made bold changes at halftime, bringing on Jamie Gittens, Moisés Caicedo, and Marc Guiu for Garnacho, Lavia, and Andrey Santos. The impact was immediate.
With Guiu leading the line, João Pedro found more freedom between the lines, while Gittens’ directness added spark down the flank. The return of Caicedo stabilized the midfield, giving Chelsea total control.
From that point, it was one-way traffic. Chelsea struck three times — two from set pieces.
- The opener came from a clever left-side move as Pedro Neto picked out young defender Josh Acheampong, who calmly finished for 1-0.
- The second came from a well-worked free-kick routine between Neto and Reece James, with the Portuguese winger curling home.
- Finally, James capped off a dominant display, heading in the third from a lofted cross to seal the 0-3 win.
Chelsea’s efficiency from dead-ball situations and Maresca’s in-game adjustments proved decisive, propelling the Blues back into the top four.
For Nottingham Forest, however, the defeat marks the end of the Postecoglou era. Just minutes after the final whistle, Evangelos Marinakis confirmed the Australian’s dismissal — a harsh but inevitable consequence of another lifeless display.