Chelsea heaped further misery on Ange Postecoglou, as his tenure as Nottingham Forest boss teeters on the brink.
The Blues secured a commanding 3-0 victory in Saturday's early kick-off, despite enduring a lacklustre first-half performance. And Chelsea legend Glenn Hoddle, on punditry for TNT Sports, said the result left the Australian manager "on the edge of a cliff" with the sack seemingly looming. He also set a rotten record by becoming the first manager in the club's history to win none of his first eight games.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who was forced to watch from the stands due to his touchline suspension, made three changes at half-time with one of them, Pedro Neto, virtually rescuing the match single-handedly. His delivery led to Josh Acheampong's opener before the Portuguese winger found the net with a free-kick just three minutes later.
Forest created numerous opportunities to find the back of the net both before and after Chelsea's rapid-fire brace, but luck simply wasn't on their side as the home team were put to bed by Reece James' strike in the 85th minute, triggering a mass departure from supporters. Postecoglou appears destined for the exit door with reports suggesting Sean Dyche is being considered as his replacement. Here are five talking points from the City Ground, reports the Mirror.
Double Enzo absence
Enzo Maresca served a one-match touchline ban when Chelsea faced Nottingham Forest
Enzo Maresca served a one-match touchline ban when Chelsea faced Nottingham Forest (Image: Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
When the team sheet was revealed, Chelsea supporters were left pondering one burning question: "Where is Enzo Fernandez?"
The midfielder was nowhere to be seen in the squad, having sat out Argentina's second fixture during the international window, and his omission was particularly noticeable with Moises Caicedo only deemed fit enough for the substitutes' bench. "It's not a big concern," Enzo Maresca informed TNT Sport ahead of kick-off.
"He's out for injury. Hopefully he can be back very soon."
However, another Enzo was notably absent from the pitch as the game kicked off. Maresca was serving a one-match touchline ban due to his overzealous celebration against Liverpool in their previous match.
A first half riddled with squandered opportunities
Morgan Gibbs-White had chances for Forest
Morgan Gibbs-White had chances for Forest (Image: PA)
The first half had its fair share of positives: end-to-end football, a bit of spice and an energetic crowd. However, both teams' lacklustre finishing left much to be desired.
Taiwo Awoniyi fluffed a golden opportunity just two minutes into the game after Malo Gusto set him up perfectly. Elliot Anderson also had a chance but hesitated, allowing Reece James to swoop in for a crucial interception.
Morgan Gibbs-White even had two chances within a minute, thanks to Chelsea's repeated turnovers. The Blues' defence seemed shaky, having made three errors leading to shots within the first 20 minutes.
Chelsea, however, had their own chances. Andrey Santos narrowly missed the goal after Joao Pedro delivered a brilliant pass.
Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels had to pull off two saves to deny Maresca's men an opening goal, ensuring the teams were level at half-time.
Maresca's triple substitution pays immediate dividends
Neto was the star man for Chelsea
Neto was the star man for Chelsea (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A half-time triple substitution is a clear sign of distress in football. Maresca waved this red flag, replacing Santos, Romeo Lavia and Alejandro Garnacho after just 45 minutes.
In came Caicedo, Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto.
Postecoglou made a substitution, bringing on Igor Jesus in place of Awoniyi, who was eager to score his first goal for Forest. However, the first goal of the match went Chelsea's way.
Almost immediately after coming on, Neto was given too much room on the left flank. He drove forward and delivered a tantalising cross just beyond the reach of Neco Williams.
Josh Acheampong was there to head home his first senior goal, prompting a disappointed shake of the head from Postecoglou.
Neto wasn't finished yet
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 18: Pedro Neto of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at City Ground on October 18, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Pedro Neto of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team's second goal (Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Scoring a goal and providing an assist within seven minutes of coming on?
Not too shabby. Chelsea won a free-kick 20 yards out and Neto stepped up, delivering a superb strike that stayed low and curled around the inside of the Forest wall.
Sels will have been frustrated to concede from such an angle, as suddenly Forest found themselves two goals down. In response to Chelsea's second goal, Postecoglou made another substitution, replacing Douglas Luiz with former Blue Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The substitution was met with boos from the disgruntled crowd, as was James' late clincher. There was a sarcastic cheer when Gusto received a second yellow card for Chelsea in the final moments.
Pressure mounts on Postecoglou again
Sean Dyche must be freshening up at this point. Postecoglou has now suffered six losses in his eight games in charge, without a single victory to his name.
The Aussie-Greek manager survived the international matches, but the upcoming Europa League match with Porto on Thursday is a significant concern.
When Williams squandered a golden opportunity to narrow the gap just past the hour mark, it was clear the game was slipping away. Club owner Evangelos Marinakis watched with evident displeasure before vacating his seat.
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