A place in one of the three European competitions was guaranteed before The City Ground prepared itself for a monumental final day.
After Levi Colwill inflicted the crucial goal against the hosts at the beginning of the second half, Nottingham Forest could not find an equaliser and had to settle for Conference League qualification.
A Champions League place was a real possibility during the twists and turns amongst their competitors as Aston Villa and Newcastle United also stumbled.
Forest threw everything at their search for a goal to lift the lid on a subdued crowd Trentside, but the solutions they turned to in attack to break down a youthfully resilient Chelsea outfit lacked end product.
It has been 44 years since The Tricky Trees have featured in the pinnacle of European competition, but still the Conference League grants them a spot in Europe for the first time in 30 years.
Seventh place is also their highest top flight finish since that 1994/95 campaign under Brian Clough's successor Frank Clark.
Significant strides have been realised and unforeseen progress has reversed the expectations of many.
A revival under Nuno Espírito Santo has lit up the Premier League, but was there room for more and does this Chelsea game put that into perspective?
Scoring vs conceding first
Nuno mentioned that starting well would put his side into the best position to go on and win the game in the circumstances especially against Enzo Maresca's Chelsea.
They had scored first in 25 Premier League games this season and accumulated many of their points from winning positions.
Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo have been at the heart of that outcome, having topped the charts in several defensive contributions in the Premier League as a duo.
Despite Murillo's suspected discomfort following his brief departure from the West Ham United game with an ankle issue, he was in Nuno's starting eleven to the delight of those in the Forest camp.
A first goal was important in a tie of this magnitude and even more important for a side reliant and adept at guarding their lead.
The Forest manager would have been convinced that Matz Sels, who eventually concluded the season sharing the Golden Glove award with David Raya, could inhibit an eventual Chelsea onslaught combined with the absence of their striker Nicolas Jackson.
However, minutes into the second half Nuno had to change course and there had to be no holding back.
When conceding the first goal in the Premier League this season, Forest have only gone on to win on one occasion.
Questions could be raised of the Portuguese manager's offensive disposition, particularly how his side are firmly set up to pounce on teams from the start, rather than being equipped to break down a low block themselves later on.
Turning on the attacking switch
The hosts were ultimately unable to find the goal, while Nuno was forced to introduce Callum Hudson-Odoi against his former club and gave him more than 40 minutes to make a difference.
With Chelsea grabbing their goal, they opted to soak up the pressure and invite Forest to dictate sizeable possession.
The strategy of a compact defensive unit, which may yield transition opportunities to extend their lead, emulated the very system which has been working wonders for Nuno after going a goal up.
Forest played intricate football and constructed some chances but it seemed unsure and unable to work to its full effect.
Perhaps simply it was because they are rarely put into the position to attack a team like Chelsea with so much time to play.
Chris Wood had two of Forest's biggest chances, however, both efforts sailed over the bar in situations where the New Zealand international has been more prolific and clinical than most.
The counter-attacking cogs in the machine have kept ticking, and their intent in possession has earned high praise, despite their defensive tendencies.
As Manchester City, Brentford, and Chelsea have all escaped Nottingham with clean sheets during the run-in, Forest's capacity to overturn a deficit has been exposed.
Wood's contract extension has been greeted with much support, but is it a case of adding to the attack in the summer alongside an adaptive tactical approach from Nuno heading into the next campaign?
Pessimistic expectations to unexpected pressure
To the surprise of those who had written them off at the start of the season, Nuno's men earned a stabilised spot in the mix for Champions League football.
A home form so formidable and unshakable then became the catalyst to their downfall.
Chelsea this time managed not to shy away from the intimidating atmosphere and claimed three points.
Forest have been unable to claw back from conceding goals and perhaps succumbed to the pressure.
A lack of versatility may have been part of their struggles at home when managing different scenarios to the one they usually intend, striving to revert back to their defensive prowess but more often forced to chase goals with an attacking incentive.
Defying the expectations relentlessly spurred them on to stun much of the competition.
This was a driving factor to their commendable success, but problems emerged as their form in the final fixtures tailed off and the pressure to be in the Champions League was heaped onto their shoulders.
The fortress of the City Ground had been toppled as performances put a top 5 place previously in stability into precarious territory with Forest needing a final day victory to attain it.
An unanticipated overachievement has presented itself to Forest fans following Nuno's first full season.
It has been a revival that seemed too good to be true, and Champions League football quickly escalated to become the prize the players should sought after.
Seventh place is undoubtedly admirable and the Conference League now awaits them.
An environment has been created at Forest to facilitate players to excel, but particularly if they exhibit the distinct way Nuno elects to play.
Major advancements have been made, with financial and performance pressure replaced by European pressures, as Forest achieved a points tally which more than doubled last season's dismal haul.
Now the appeal of Nottingham Forest from higher quality players in the upcoming window has increased.
Meanwhile, missing out on the Champions League could prompt significant departures, which still could rake in transformative revenues.
There may be a reshuffle of personnel and the tactical system may need to adjust, but Nottingham Forest have gone above and beyond a side that were in the shout for relegation.