Nottingham Forest 0-3 Chelsea: Report, result and goals as Blues pile misery on Postecoglou
Chelsea moved within two points of the top of the Premier League.
Ange Postecoglou’s future at Nottingham Forest looks increasingly bleak after his profligate side slumped to a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Postecoglou watched his side waste a host of chances as his wait for a first win as Forest manager goes on, an international break in which there was significant speculation about his potential sacking, doing nothing to improve the hosts’ fortunes.
His counterpart Enzo Maresca watched from the stands as he served a one-match touchline ban, but a trio of half-time changes turned a game in which they initially struggled to gain a foothold in their favour.
Two goals in the space of three minutes settled the contest, Josh Acheampong’s first goal for the club followed by a free-kick from the instrumental Pedro Neto, with Reece James marking his 200th appearance for the club with an 84th-minute goal.
Chelsea move within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, while Forest are still just a point above the relegation zone ahead of the remainder of the weekend’s fixtures.
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Chelsea survive Forest’s fast start
Taiwo Awoniyi’s scuffed effort when through on goal set the tone for another frustrating afternoon for Forest.
Morgan Gibbs-White twice fired off-target after Chelsea lost the ball in their own half, with the Blues uncharacteristically sloppy in the first-half absence of midfielder Moises Caicedo, who was named on the bench as part of three changes from the win over Liverpool by Maresca.
There was a harbinger of what was to come when Andrey Santos wasted a gilt-edged chance for Chelsea late in the first half, though that would be his last significant involvement in the game.
Blues punish Postecoglou
Santos was withdrawn as Maresca shuffled his pack, with Romeo Lavia and Alejandro Garnacho also withdrawn as Caicedo, Marc Guiu and Jamie Gittens entering the fray.
And that decision by Maresca paid emphatic dividends as the Blues soon gave Forest a mountain to climb.
Acheampong rose to head Chelsea in front after Neto got down the left wing and produced a superb cross following a free-kick.
Neto then turned goalscorer, albeit with a huge helping hand from Sels, who could only help a well-struck free-kick on its way into the bottom-left corner following Morato’s foul on the edge of the area.
Joao Pedro went close to making it 3-0 before Neco Williams missed a sitter just after the hour mark. Nikola Milenkovic was then denied by Robert Sanchez, with Ibrahim Sangare firing over on the rebound.
Forest’s day was summed up when Igor Jesus hit the crossbar and the post from point-blank range, and the game was put beyond doubt by James after the hosts failed to clear a corner.
Malo Gusto was sent off for a second yellow card three minutes later, but that was only a footnote as Chelsea condemned Postecoglou to an eighth game without a win as Forest boss.