Nottingham Forest 0 – 3 Chelsea: Sensational second half display sees Chelsea add the final nail in the coffin for Postecoglou

“Cheer up Postecoglou! Oh what can it mean. To a…” – you know the rest. That was the chant echoing from a jubilant away end at the City Ground as Chelsea eventually cruised to a commanding 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.  

But it didn’t start smoothly. The first half was riddled with nerves and sloppiness from the Blues, as they struggled to find any rhythm. Forest had multiple chances to take the lead — largely due to Chelsea’s carelessness in possession. Malo Gusto’s early giveaway in the opening minute, which allowed Taiwo Awoniyi a sight at goal, set the tone for a lackadaisical 45 minutes.  

Chelsea’s inability to play out from the back was evident, and not surprising given the absence of their two ball playing centre-halves, Levi Colwill and Benoît Badiashile. Missing key midfielders Enzo Fernández and Cole Palmer only compounded the issue. It was clear for all to see, that for Chelsea to get a grip of the game, there was a Moises Caicedo shaped hole in the middle of the park that was crying out to be filled.

And in the second half, it was.  

Rested initially, after a demanding recent schedule, Caicedo came on and immediately restored order. Fresh off a man-of-the-match performance against Liverpool, he once again imposed himself, effortlessly linking defence and attack, and — as all elite players do — instilling calm among his teammates.  

Pedro Neto was a bright spark and electric throughout. He terrorised his full-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko, time and again, beating him with ease and driving his side forward. It was Neto who ignited the three-minute burst of brilliance that decided the match. 

In the 49th minute, he danced past Neco Williams on the left before swinging in a sumptuous cross — one begging to be converted. And 18-year-old Josh Acheampong answered the call, nodding in his first Chelsea goal before wheeling away toward the delirious travelling support.  

Just three minutes later, Marc Guiu — who brought fresh energy and stretched the Forest defence — won a free-kick. Neto stepped up and, albeit slightly fortuitously due to a goalkeeping error from Matz Sels, doubled Chelsea’s lead. 

Club captain Reece James capped off a player of the match performance by adding a third in the 84th minute, marking his 200th appearance with a well-taken finish from the centre of the box following more defensive chaos from Forest. 

However, it wasn’t all positive for Chelsea. Malo Gusto saw red late on, making it five red cards in a row for the Blues (if you count manager Enzo Maresca’s animated dismissal against Liverpool). It was a reckless, unnecessary challenge — the kind that will only fuel further scrutiny of the discipline within this young side. 

At full-time, boos rang out from the Forest faithful. A wretched performance was capped by club owner Evangelos Marinakis storming out of his seat well before the final whistle. 21 minutes after full time, Forest parted ways with Postecoglou.  

And just like that, the Austrlian’s turbulent tenure comes to an end after just 39 days in charge. Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s youthful Chelsea side take all three points meaning Chelsea fans can watch the rest of the weekend’s action feeling content.