FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE – Chelsea will head into the September international break off the back of a loss after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Blues were routinely frustrated at a sunny Stamford Bridge on Saturday and were unable to breach a resilient Forest backline, and they were punished for their profligacy as Anthony Elanga finished off a counter early in the second half to seal the win.
Steve Cooper’s men won just once on their travels last season and have already equalled that tally three away matches into the new campaign.
How the game unfolded
With just over a minute on the clock, Chelsea nearly took the lead. Ben Chilwell’s low cross looked destined to be tapped in by Raheem Sterling, but former Blue Ola Aina made a brilliant recovery challenge to deny the in-form forward.
Midway through the first half, Sterling inversely attempted to pick out Chilwell with a similar scything ball through the box, but the makeshift winger was unable to get a clean touch on it and Forest were let off the hook.
Forest’s first real chance came soon after when Chelsea failed to deal with a high free-kick into the box. The ball fell kindly to Taiwo Awoniyi from six yards out, but he blazed a half-volley agonisingly over.
The visitors created more havoc from another set piece shortly afterwards, with Awoniyi holding off Thiago Silva and coming up with an acrobatic overhead kick which bounced narrowly wide of the post.
Within minutes of the second half starting, Forest took the lead. Moises Caicedo’s loose touch was pounced upon by Orel Mangala and Ryan Yates, with the ball then falling for Awoniyi to roll into the path of substitute Elanga, and he rolled it beyond Robert Sanchez into the far corner.
Chelsea wanted a penalty when Matt Turner clattered into Nicolas Jackson, and though the goalkeeper did make contact, the Senegalese striker had strayed offside and the flag was raised.
With ten minutes to go, the Blues should have been level. Sterling did well to round Joe Worrall and tee up Jackson, who poked the ball over from mere yards out while stretching to make contact.
Deep into eight minutes of stoppage time, Sterling flashed a shot across the face of goal to the relief of the travelling fans in the Shed End, with Forest clinging on to claim a first win at Chelsea since 1995.
GK: Robert Sanchez – 5/10 – Little to do, in fairness. Rooted to his spot for Elanga’s opener.
RB: Malo Gusto – 6/10 – Adventurous with the ball and always got his head up. On the occasions he gave the ball away, the energetic right-back rushed back to win it again.
CB: Axel Disasi – 6/10 – Unfazed by taking on the powerful Awoniyi in aerial and ground duels.
CB: Thiago Silva – 4/10 – Shrunk in those same battles with the Nigerian and didn’t look comfortable trying to muzzle him.
LB: Levi Colwill – 6/10 – Competent while playing out of position, pushing into midfield with the aggression Pochettino desires.
CM: Conor Gallagher – 5/10 – At the heart of everything good Chelsea did in his hour on the pitch, but simultaneously was unable to slow the game down when necessary and his wastefulness cost them control.
CM: Moises Caicedo – 3/10 – Hesitant with possession throughout, and this eventually led to Forest taking the lead. Needs time to settle into his new surroundings, but his hefty price tag will make that difficult.
RM: Raheem Sterling – 5/10 – Started brightly and flowing with the confidence of his recent form, but faded when the going got tough for Chelsea.
AM: Enzo Fernandez – 6/10 – Attempted to wrestle Chelsea back into the contest with his clever passing but his supporting cast did not step up in a similar manner.
LM: Ben Chilwell – 4/10 – Just absolutely not a winger and was replaced for an actual forward after an hour.
CF: Nicolas Jackson – 4/10 – Threw himself about trying to escape Forest’s three imposing centre-backs but was unable to break free from them completely. Missed a crucial chance late on.
Substitutes
SUB: Cole Palmer (62′ for Chilwell) – 5/10
SUB: Noni Madueke (62′ for Gallagher) – 6/10
SUB: Ian Maatsen (76′ for Caicedo) – 5/10
SUB: Mykhailo Mudryk (76′ for Gusto) – 5/10
Subs not used: Bergstrom (GK), Petrovic (GK), Cucurella, Oguchukwu, Washington
Manager
Mauricio Pochettino – 4/10 – Chelsea once more looked muddled and found it difficult to respond when Forest shut up shop.
GK: Matt Turner – 5/10 – Didn’t exactly inspire confidence but the defenders in front of him did a good job of protecting their goalkeeper.
CB: Willy Boly – 7/10 – Stepped out from the back with confidence and shut down Chelsea’s left side.
CB: Joe Worrall – 7/10 – Produced a number of last-ditch challenges to save Forest from oblivion.
CB: Scott McKenna – 7/10 – Barely troubled after a so-so start at Stamford Bridge. Supported well by Aina.
RM: Serge Aurier – 6/10 – Could barely get into the game when Forest had the ball but he at least carried out his defensive duties well.
CM: Ryan Yates – 6/10 – Loose touches and poor shot selection, sure, but the midfielder ran his heart out and his industrious style helped lead to Elanga’s goal.
CM: Orel Mangala – 6/10 – Similarly lacked that technical edge but you couldn’t knock the Belgian’s work rate.
LM: Ola Aina – 7/10 – Enjoyed his duels up against Sterling on his return to Stamford Bridge.
AM: Danilo – 5/10 – Struggled to get into the game before being withdrawn before half-time with an injury.
AM: Morgan Gibbs-White – 5/10 – Tried to link play with flicks and tricks but could never make the ball stick.
CF: Taiwo Awoniyi – 8/10 – Chelsea were clearly frightened by Awoniyi’s physical presence, particularly on set pieces. Grabbed the assist for Elanga’s opener.
Substitutes
SUB: Anthony Elanga (45′ for Danilo) – 8/10 – His pace gave Forest a threat on the counter, taking his goal expertly.
SUB: Chris Wood (65′ for Awoniyi) – 5/10
SUB: Gonzalo Montiel (72′ for Aurier) – 5/10
SUB: Nuno Tavares (72′ for Aina) – 5/10
SUB: Cheikhou Kouyate (72′ for Mangala) – 5/10
Subs not used: Horvarth (GK), Felipe, Niakhate, Aguilera
Manager
Steve Cooper – 7/10 – Forest weren’t always pretty but they were effective and they did their jobs superbly.
