Chelsea player ratings vs Nottingham Forest: Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella produce shameful showings as abysmal Blues embarrassed yet again to end top-five hopes
Chelsea’s hopes of securing a top-five finish in the Premier League were ended on Monday as they put in a shameful performance in losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest. Cole Palmer missed from the penalty spot as the Blues’ run of league defeats stretched to six games, meaning their hopes of securing Champions League qualification for next season hang by the finest of threads.
Forest made eight changes ahead of the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa on Thursday, making Chelsea heavy favourites to claim victory, but the Blues fell behind after just 98 seconds when Taiwo Awoniyi headed in at the back post from Dilane Bakwa’s cross.
Enzo Fernandez hit the post as Chelsea looked for an instant response, but they instead found themselves 2-0 down before the quarter-hour mark after Malo Gusto was penalised for pulling back Awoniyi in the penalty area, and Igor Jesus made no mistake from the spot.
Calum McFarlane’s side were handed a golden opportunity to pull one back right on half-time after a sickening clash of heads between Zach Abbott and Jesse Derry led to Chelsea being awarded a penalty. However, after a 12-minute stoppage while Premier League debutant Derry was tended to by medics before being stretchered off, Palmer had his spot-kick saved by Matz Sels.
More misery followed after the break as Awoniyi netted his second of the game after substitute Morgan Gibbs-White got in behind the Chelsea defence and laid it on a plate for Forest’s No.9 to tap home.
Joao Pedro did have a potential consolation ruled out by VAR for offside while Palmer was again denied by Sels before Chelsea finally broke their nine-hour league goal drought in stoppage time as Pedro produced a superb overhead kick that flew into the net. They remain ninth in the table, however, with their hopes of securing any kind of European football via their finishing position dwindling.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Stamford Bridge…
