Reds Win At Chelsea

Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League) 02.09.23

Forest take-over the capital, three points is theirs after a tantalising affair at Stamford Bridge on a memorable weekend for the Reds; Pathetic fallacy if you will, as the sun shone, Steve Cooper’s men triumphed over Mauricio Pochettino’s high-spending Chelsea.

1st Half:

In all honesty, a dull affair. Nottingham Forest failing really to get anything over Chelsea – the likes of Conor Gallagher, Fernandez, Caicedo controlling the midfield – I’d argue out of the three, Gallagher was most impressive; to think Chelsea almost sold him on deadline day – odd! Forward thinking, causing issues for Forest alongside his Colleague Gusto – Aina & McKenna despite this providing good pressure, and neutralising many of their efforts.

The final sentence of that first paragraph could probably go for the entire back line for Forest: Worrall, Boly & Aurier all stupendous, a compelling first half performance defensively, however Cooper’s men struggled to get further forward with the likes of Danilo & Gibbs-White failing to provide Awoniyi with many chances.

Gibbs-White seemed to do “too much” on occasion, in situations that demanded simplicity, he tended to act with too much confidence. As for Danilo, an unfortunate injury issue forced him off the field, and replaced him was the eager former-Manchester United man, and new fan-favourite, Anthony Elanga.

2nd Half:

I don’t think that it can be called the tale of two halves necessarily, but Forest certainly changed, they looked confident, and not scared like they had entering second periods in other games this season. Early on, 2 minutes in, Caicedo loses the ball for Awoniyi to take it into his side, before threading a ball into recently-substituted Elanga in the 18-yard box, who then goes on to slot the ball into the back of the net; Chelsea stunned, Forest emphatic – a huge second half remained though.

Chelsea came close: Shots from outside the box, crosses into the penalty-area, a close lofted effort from Nicholas Jackson, but nothing would come off. Palmer & Madueke’s arrival certainly changed the dynamic: Palmer confident and feeding the wingers, with Madueke not fearing a run into the box, and further challenging Forest’s defence: neutralised once more, excellent defensive performances across the board.

A nerve-wracking eight minutes of added time soon came to an end, and despite the journey up, a memorable day for Nottingham Forest fans – the best hour and a half, in the end, since Crystal Palace away to end last season.

A nervy affair at times, but Forest advance with three points – their second win of the season. Captain, Joe Worrall, and his Vice, Ryan Yates, simply fantastic, both putting in a performance that will solidify their chances of getting into the first team in the coming fixtures, even with the impending arrivals following on from Deadline Day.

A good win in the capital, heading into the international break. Optimism, it doesn’t cost you know!

Forest: Turner, Aurier (Montiel 72), Worrall, McKenna, Boly, Aina (Kouyate 73), Danilo (Elanga 45), Yates, Mangala (Tavares 72), Gibbs-White, Awoniyi (Wood 65).