Chelsea beat Notitngham Forest 3-0 as Josh Acheampong, Pedro Neto, and Reece James scored after the break at the City Ground. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest missed a lot of chances. In the beginning, Forest played better, but the Blues took control of important moments and didn’t let Malo Gusto’s 87th-minute red card affect them.
Acheampong’s close-range header from Neto’s cross broke the tie in the 49th minute. Neto’s free kick made it 2-0 three minutes later, and James scored a third goal from a corner in the 84th minute. Gusto got his second yellow card for a foul on Neco Williams, but it was not enough to dampen the visitors’ night.
Forest put early pressure on but couldn’t finish: Morgan Gibbs-White came close twice before the break, and Igor Jesus hit the bar when it was already 2-0. According to full-time stats, Forest had more expected goals (2.12 xG) than Chelsea (1.66), but Chelsea was better at set plays and transitions.
The result has moved Enzo Maresca’s team up to fourth place, while Forest stayed in 17th place. The loss also made Forest’s owners act right away. Ange Postecoglou was fired about 20 minutes after the game ended, ending an eight-game winless streak and one of the shortest tenures in the top flight.
Chelsea get ready to play Ajax at Stamford Bridge
On October 22, Chelsea will play Ajax at Stamford Bridge in the UEFA Champions League group stage. The game will start at 8:00 p.m. BST, with the Blues confirming the details for the home game and tickets.
Enzo Maresca’s team comes from a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and want to build on their recent success in the UK to solidify their place in Europe.
Availability of the squad is still very important. Cole Palmer will be out for about six more weeks because of a groin injury. This means he won’t be able to play in the Ajax game or a few other games after that. Benoit Badiashile won’t be able to play until December.
Chelsea expects returning defenders like Reece James to keep playing after getting some minutes recently. Josh Acheampong also made his case stronger by scoring at Forest.