Chelsea picked up all three points in their first game after the international break. The Blues were victorious against Nottingham Forest, securing a 3-0 win over Ange Postecoglou’s side at the City Ground to pile the misery onto the Australian manager.
Three second-half goals from Enzo Maresca’s side were enough to earn the win. The West Londoners opened the scoring through Josh Acheampong, who bagged his first goal in professional football. It was a well-directed header from the centre-back.
He was teed up by Pedro Neto, with the Portugal international getting on the scoresheet himself moments later. That goal came from a well-hit free kick from outside the penalty box, doubling the scoreline. Reece James added a third late on for Chelsea to cap off a wonderful showing.
Pedro Neto
It was complete dominance from Maresca’s side. They certainly tested Mats Selz in the Forest goal, and had 17 shots, finding the target six times. The visitors also slightly dominated possession, with 51%, and created four big chances.
There were certainly some standout players for the Blues, who picked up their second Premier League win in as many games.
Chelsea’s best players vs. Forest
TNT Sports awarded Chelsea captain James player of the match after a stellar performance against Forest. It was the Cobham graduate’s 200th game for his boyhood club, which he celebrated with a goal and assist.
Reece James
Whilst the assist for Neto’s strike was a simple roll of the ball, a matter of yards, his strike was excellent.
The England international pounced on a misdirected punch from Mats Selz, which rifled into the back of the net to add a third for Chelsea.
It was arguably not the best goal of the match, though, with Neto’s low free kick a real standout. The Portugal international bent his effort into the back of the net with his left foot, managing to get his strike through a mass of Forest defenders to put Chelsea two goals up.
His cross for Acheampong was a well-paced delivery, too.
One person who was particularly impressed by the performances of both James and Neto was Matthew Judge, a journalist for Goal. He gave the Blues skipper an 8/10 and their number seven a 9/10 for their scintillating performances.
James Neto
The Chelsea duo were two of their standout players at the City Ground, although one of their half-time substitutes also performed well.
Chelsea's new Werner
After a rather underwhelming first half, Chelsea manager Maresca shuffled the pack and made three half-time substitutes. Jamie Gittens replaced Alejandro Garnacho out wide, and Moises Caicedo came on in midfield for Romeo Lavia.
The other change the Blues made proved to be a smart move. Andrey Santos was replaced by Marc Guiu, with the Spanish striker impressing during his 45-minute cameo. It was a hard-working display from the former Barcelona star.
Chelsea-1
He “completely changed the game” in the second half, according to football podcaster Terry Flewers. He praised Guiu for the fact that he was a “real presence up top.”
Certainly, the 19-year-old stretched the play and made Forest’s defenders work hard to cope with his runs in behind.
It was a showing that certainly left a good impression on Judge. The journalist said Guiu was constantly 'working tirelessly up top' for his side, and praised him for winning the foul, which led to Neto’s free kick.
P. Neto
The stats from the game show how tirelessly the former Sunderland loanee worked.
He only had 13 touches, completed 100% of his passes and had three shots. He had a good impact in a short amount of time.
Guiu key stats vs. Forest
Stat
Pass accuracy
Touches
Shots
Fouls won
Duels won
Stats from Sofascore
It wouldn’t be outlandish to compare Guiu’s performance to one Chelsea fans may have seen from Timo Werner.
Like the German striker used to do for the Blues, he ran relentlessly and was constantly making runs in behind to stretch Forest’s defence.
Yet, he did miss a couple of chances, rounding the goalkeeper but missing the target, and squandering a one-vs-one opportunity.
Of course, Werner - who notably missed 18 'big chances' in the Premier League in 2020/21, as per Fotmob - was synonymous with wasting those golden chances, just as Guiu did at the City Ground, with little end product to match his impressive work ethic.
Werner
However, it is important to bear in mind he is just 19 years of age. There is still plenty of time for Guiu to hone the clinical side of his game, as he looks to nail down a regular spot under Maresca.
Certainly, his outing at Forest will have done him no harm.