Chelsea’s top-five hopes are in danger after Nottingham Forest beat West Ham United 2-1 at the London Stadium today. The win puts Forest seventh on 65 points, one behind Aston Villa and Chelsea. The battle for qualification will see UEFA Champions League teams with six competing for four places.
Morgan Gibbs-White had the first goal in the 11th minute with the help of West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola’s misguided pass. Nikola Milenkovic scored the second for Forest in the 61st minute from Anthony Elanga’s free-kick. The goal only counted after a long VAR examination for offside. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen brought the margin back with a volley in the 86th minute, but Forest survived added time to seal the victory.
The result would see Chelsea and Forest facing a day-of-truth meeting at the City Ground on May 25. Chelsea are fourth on 66 points and must win to secure their Champions League spot. A defeat or a draw will make them vulnerable to being surpassed by Forest or sixth-place Manchester City, who have two games remaining and 65 points.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has a genuine crisis at his disposal, with Nicolas Jackson suspended and Christopher Nkunku out injured. Chelsea will have to find answers to those issues in an attempt to qualify for the top five and a Champions League place.
Enzo Maresca insists that Chelsea “don’t need to watch the other results.”
Talking after Chelsea’s win over Manchester United on Friday evening, Enzo Maresca discussed how important the victory was in the context of the Blues’ Champions League bid. The Italian gaffer was visibly relieved at the end of the game, a sign of the amount of pressure that had been on the team.
He explained to the press:
“The reason why I was happy was especially because we beat a team that against Arsenal, Liverpool, City, it was difficult to beat them.”
Chelsea boss pointed out that the fate of the club is still in their own hands, despite the battle for points in the top-five being very tight. He continued:
“The focus has to be on us, because if we are able to win two games tonight and the next one, it depends on us. We don’t need to watch the other results. They knew it was a tough game and also for them the reason why they were so happy is because it’s a nice win.”