Chelsea have beaten an out-of-form and flattened Reds side at the City Ground. Coming into this game, it was crystal clear that Ange Postecoglou was under severe pressure internally.
Despite being under the cosh in the first half, the visitors flipped the switch and scored three goals in the second period.
The Blues kept shooting themselves in the foot in the first half; they were shaky, they created unforced errors and kept giving the ball away needlessly near the edge of the box. There is no hiding the fact that the home side had Chelsea on the ropes in the opening 45 minutes.
However, despite watching the game from the stands, Enzo Maresca was proactive and made three substitutions after half-time. That was needed after a sloppy first half.
It didn’t take long for the Blues to shift the momentum in their favour and to get a foothold in the game. Academy graduate Josh Acheampong, Pedro Neto and Reece James all scored in the second half to make sure that Chelsea picked up all three points.
Enzo Maresca will be happy with the way that his side responded after facing a lot of adversity in the first half. Chelsea still has a lot of room for improvement, but they will be pleased with the win and their second-half performance.
Starting Eleven
Robert Sanchez - 7
The Spanish international commanded his box well; he was up to the task when being put under pressure from time to time, and his distribution was solid. The goalkeeper did not make any sloppy mistakes and did not put his side under any unnecessary pressure. It is fair to say that the Reds were wasteful in front of goal, particularly in the first half.
However, the 27-year-old did the basics at a high level and took the pressure off his defenders in certain spells of the match. He deserves his flowers. The Blues fan base will be hoping that the goalkeeper has turned a corner and that he can put his previous mistakes behind him.
Reece James - 8
The captain led by example. This was a magnificent all-around performance from the 25-year-old. The right back was a rock defensively. He was up to the task every time the Reds attacked down his side; he won the majority of his 50-50 duels and brought a level of calmness.
On the ball, the England international was very comfortable; the Chelsea academy graduate was always advancing the ball and kept looking to progress the play. He found himself in a variety of different positions when the Blues had possession, and he dictated the game. In the second half, Callum Hudson-Odoi kept looking to get the better of him, but Chelsea’s right back stood up to the task.
The cherry on the cake for the England international is that he won man of the match and was consistent from the first whistle until the last.
Trevoh Chalobah - 4
The 26-year-old was a weak link in the back line. He was not comfortable on the left side of the back two and kept consistently giving the ball away 25 yards out from his own goal. It was crystal clear to see that on the ball, the centre-back was panicking; he didn’t take initiative with his passing and was regularly passing sideways and backwards to his goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez. Enzo Maresca wants his two central defenders to progress the play as well as break the lines. The 26-year-old was unable to do that.
Off the ball, Taiwo Awoniyi, who made his first start of the season in the Premier League, outmuscled the centre back and won the majority of his individual battles against the experienced defender. It's fair to say that he was uncomfortable and struggled to deal with the home side’s physicality, especially in the first half. After this display, a lot of questions will be asked as to whether or not Chalobah should keep his place in the side.
Josh Acheampong - 7
At the start of the game, the youngster was getting put to the test by Awoniyi. The Forest striker was using his physicality to his advantage in order to win free kicks and get the home side up the pitch. Despite not starting the game like a bat out of hell, it didn’t take the 19-year-old long to make his mark and grow into the game. He went on some adventurous runs, kept breaking the lines and was not afraid to take risks.
There were a few times when the defender gave the ball away, but his quality and personality were on display for everyone to see. He has grabbed each opportunity by the scruff of the neck and has passed each test with flying colours. His goal in the 49th minute was vital because Chelsea broke the deadlock, and the floodgates opened up after that.
Marc Cucurella - 6
The Spanish international plays at a high level week in and week out. He is one of Chelsea’s most important players due to his consistent performances and the ability to keep the opposing right winger out of the game. Yet again, the 27-year-old was up to the task and stepped up whenever he had to defend.
When inverting into midfield, he advanced the play and dragged the opposing midfielders out of position. Cucurella was a rock at the back, in particular when Forest were chasing the game. He stopped crosses from coming into the box, won his 1 v1 duels, and Forest got no joy while attacking down his side. He did not get into forward areas as much as he did against Liverpool, but the left back was a rock defensively.
Andrey Santos - 4
Andrey Santos was unable to get hold of the midfield in the first half. The home side won the midfield battle, and part of that was due to the 21-year-old being sloppy on the ball. The Brazilian international was sluggish and did not make his presence felt during the game. Joao Pedro was isolated in the first half because Santos and Romeo Lavia were not progressing the ball. A midfielder’s job is to be the link between the defence and attack.
During this contest, Chelsea lost the midfield battle in the first half on and off the ball. Santos also had a guilt-edge chance towards the end of the first half to put his side 1-0 up, but he failed to put the ball in the back of the net.
Romeo Lavia - 4
Just like his midfield partner, Lavia also struggled to make his mark on the game. The midfielder was sloppy on the ball, which is unusual for him; he was rash and struggled to keep up with the pace of the game. Lavia is usually dictating the tempo of the match, breaking the lines, advancing the play and winning the ball back for his side. He was unable to play at the level that he normally does, and this was a poor display from the Belgian international.
Malo Gusto - 3
Coming into the game, a large portion of the Chelsea fanbase disagreed with Maresca’s decision to name Gusto in the starting 11. After watching the match, it is crystal clear to see why the French right back has fallen off a cliff after having a promising start to his Blues career.
The 22-year-old has not been playing up to the standard required for over a year. There is no sweeping the carpet that Gusto struggles to play in the middle of the park under the carpet. The French international kept giving the ball away regularly throughout the game, and he was all over the place.
There were moments where the Reds players bypassed him like he was not there, and a lot of Chelsea’s attacks were broken down due to Gusto’s lack of vision to pass forward. His sending off in the 87th summed up his performance.
Alejandro Garnacho - 4
Garnacho’s struggles early in his Chelsea career continue after he has not hit the ground running. Despite not getting enough service throughout the first half, when he did have the ball at his feet, the Argentine was unable to make the most of his opportunities.
His decision-making and end product in the final third left a lot to be desired. The 21-year-old had chances to put Neco Williams on the back foot, but he did not take them. The former Manchester United player has a lot of room for improvement, and he has to do a lot more if he wants to cement himself as a starter.
Joao Pedro - 6
The Brazilian international was quiet in the first half due to being isolated at the top of the pitch and playing as a lone striker. However, in the second half, he got a foothold in the game. Playing in his natural position behind Marc Guiu allowed the attacker to play at his best and shine.
In the second half, he was creating chances from the attacking midfield position, he was taking the Reds players out of the game and made his presence felt.
Pedro Neto - 7
The right winger was Chelsea’s most lively and dangerous attacker in the first half. He kept driving forward with the ball and looked to make magic happen. His trademark move is to cut inside with his left foot and cross the ball at the back post. He did that a plethora of times today.
However, his teammates were not on the same page and couldn’t get to the end of his crosses. His good performance continued in the second half, and Neto deservedly got his goal in the 52nd minute. The 25-year-old helped his side tremendously off the ball as well.
Substitutes
Marc Guiu - 6
The La Masia graduate made his impact in the game right from the get-go. As soon as he came off the bench, Chelsea had a vocal point up front. The 19-year-old’s movement off the ball led to the home side panicking and making mistakes inside the edge of their own box. Guiu won free kicks; he was physical and relentless on and off the ball. Overall, it was an encouraging performance from the striker.
Moises Caicedo - 7
The Ecuadorian international got control of the midfield and brought something to the table that the Blues were missing in the first half. He won his duels, broke the lines, and was able to get the attacking players around him more involved in the game.
Unlike in the first half, the Blues won the midfield battle in the second period. Caicedo is a massively important player for Chelsea, and the opening 45 minutes showed just how much the Blues missed him. However, the impact that he had after coming off the bench was huge and can’t go unnoticed.
Jamie Gittens - 5
The former Borussia Dortmund winger is known for his dribbling and ability to get past players. Although due to Chelsea being 2-0 up for the majority of the second half, this meant that the winger had to do a lot more defensive work.
The Blues were sitting back, and Gittens did not have the opportunities to run at the Nottingham Forest defenders. However, despite this, he was up to the task defensively, and in fact, there was one moment where he stopped the hosts from getting a shot off inside Chelsea’s penalty area. Gittens is not known for his defending, but today he put his body on the line for his side.
Estevao - 5
Despite coming on in the 78th minute, the 18-year-old showed off his skills and displayed his quality in a limited amount of time. His cross from the corner kick led to Reece James scoring Chelsea’s third goal. Estevao also had a few opportunities to get himself on the score sheet.
Tosin - N/A
He was not on the pitch for long enough in order to give him a grade.