Clinical Chelsea Sink Forest to Deepen Postecoglou’s Crisis

By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.

Ange Postecoglou’s winless start as Nottingham Forest boss extended to eight matches today as his side were defeated 3-0 at home in the Premier League by Chelsea. The Blues, now winning on four of their last five visits to the City Ground, delivered a clinical second-half performance after a sluggish start, piling the pressure on the Forest manager whose job is looking increasingly precarious.

First-Half Frustration

The match did not start well for Chelsea, who were missing key players including Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo, and Enzo Fernández, and looked toothless in attack during the opening 45 minutes. Despite the lack of an attacking threat, they arguably created the biggest chance of the half when a glorious ball from João Pedro found Andrey Santos, whose left-footed effort drifted narrowly wide of the target. Forest had their own chances, with an Elliot Anderson opportunity wasted after an unforced Chelsea error, and a defensive mishap from the Blues allowing Dougas Luiz to head a cross back across goal for the unmarked Morgan Gibbs-White, who acrobatically volleyed over the bar.

Maresca’s Triple Change Sparks Life

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who was absent from the touchline after being shown a red card against Liverpool, saw enough at halftime to make a triple substitution. Although none of the substitutes were directly involved in the opening goal, the changes immediately breathed new life into the Chelsea attack.

The deadlock was finally broken when Pedro Neto charged down the left and planted a perfect cross onto the head of Josh Acheampong, who powered home from six yards.

The goal opened the floodgates. Chelsea looked a different team after the restart and doubled their advantage just three minutes later when Pedro Neto hammered home a free-kick from the edge of the area. Forest’s struggles were laid bare when an Igor Jesus deflection of a Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross hit the bar and then the post, an effort symbolic of the luckless run the home side are enduring.

Chelsea added insult to injury late on when Reece James hammered home a half-cleared corner, adding the icing on the cake to what was only their fourth victory from their last 15 top-flight away games.

The Writing’s on the Wall

A late red card for Chelsea’s Malo Gusto somewhat soured the victory, but the real story is the escalating crisis at Forest. With pressure mounting on the home side, their owner Evangelos Marinakis having left his seat long before the final whistle, it looks like the writing is on the wall for Postecoglou. Failure to beat Chelsea was always likely to increase his chances of the sack, and with an eight-game winless streak, a managerial change could be imminent.

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