In an impressive display during matchday 8 of the Premier League, Chelsea defeated Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground. The Blues, managed by Enzo Maresca, opened the scoring with a header from Joshua Acheampong just three minutes into the second half. Nottingham Forest faced another setback six minutes later when a free-kick from Pedro Neto found the back of the net, doubling Chelsea’s lead.
The visitors kept control of the match, ultimately sealing the victory with a goal from Reece James at the 83rd minute following a well-executed play. Pedro Neto’s stunning direct free-kick at the 51st minute brought the crowd to their feet, as the ball curled past Matz Els Sels into the left corner of the net.
Nottingham’s Igor Jesus had a chance to pull one back for his side in the 70th minute, but his shot hit the post, denying the hosts any opportunity to score.
Joshua Acheampong was the standout performer of the match, scoring one goal and solidifying his team’s defensive efforts. Pedro Neto also shone for Chelsea, netting a goal, taking two shots on target, and completing 21 successful passes.
Angelos Postecoglou, Nottingham Forest’s coach, deployed a 5-4-1 formation with Matz Sels in goal; a defensive line featuring Neco Williams, Nikola Milenkovic, Felipe Morato, Murillo, and Olexandr Zinchenko; a midfield comprising Douglas Luiz, Ibrahim Sangaré, Elliot Anderson, and Morgan Gibbs-White; with Taiwo Awoniyi leading the attack.
On the other hand, Chelsea utilized a 4-3-3 setup, with Robert Sánchez guarding the net; Reece James, Joshua Acheampong, Trevoh Chalobah, and Marc Cucurella forming the defense; Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, and Roméo Lavia in midfield; and Pedro Neto, João Pedro, and Alejandro Garnacho up front.
Chris Kavanagh officiated the match, which saw Nottingham Forest’s struggles continue as they sit in 17th place with 5 points in the standings. Chelsea, however, ascends to 4th place with 14 points.
In their upcoming fixtures, Nottingham will face Bournemouth away, while Chelsea will host Sunderland at home.
Substitutions for Nottingham Forest
52’ 2T – Douglas Luiz out for Callum Hudson-Odoi
73’ 2T – Olexandr Zinchenko out for Chris Wood, Murillo out for Nicolò Savona
Yellow Cards for Nottingham Forest:
40’ 1T – Felipe Morato (Unsporting behavior)
35’ 2T – Ibrahim Sangaré (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Chelsea
45’ 2T – Roméo Lavia out for Moisés Caicedo, Andrey Santos out for Marc Guiu, Alejandro Garnacho out for Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Taiwo Awoniyi out for Igor Jesus
77’ 2T – Pedro Neto out for Estêvão Willian
81’ 2T – Joshua Acheampong out for Tosin Adarabioyo
Yellow Cards for Chelsea:
8’ 2T – Malo Gusto (Unsporting behavior)
43’ 2T – Estêvão Willian (Unsporting behavior)
48’ 2T – Robert Sánchez (Delay of game)
Red Card for Chelsea:
41’ 2T – Malo Gusto (Second yellow card)