Nottingham Forest beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on May 4, handing the home side a sixth straight Premier League defeat and deepening their late-season slump. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Forest struck early when Taiwo Awoniyi scored inside 2 minutes, then doubled their lead in the 15th minute through Igor Jesus from the spot after a foul on Awoniyi. Chelsea were left chasing the game and then lost 18-year-old winger Jesse Shaun Derry after a clash of heads with Forest defender Zach Abbott around the 45th minute. [3, 5, 6]
Chelsea said Derry was conscious, talking and undergoing precautionary checks after being taken to hospital as a precaution. The teenager was making his Premier League debut, and the collision led to a Chelsea penalty that Cole Palmer took but Matz Sels saved. [1, 3, 5, 6]
Forest, who rotated their side with a Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa in mind, went further ahead when Awoniyi scored again in the 52nd minute. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Forest substitute Morgan Gibbs-White also suffered head injuries in the second half, but both were able to walk off the pitch. [3, 5, 6]
Joao Pedro scored a spectacular overhead kick in the 93rd minute to give Chelsea a late consolation. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher called Chelsea “a broken football club” after the loss, while caretaker boss Calum McFarlane said of Derry: “All signs are positive at the moment so we're hopeful he's in a good condition.” [1, 2, 3, 5]
The defeat left Chelsea ninth in the table, 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with only 9 points left to play for. Sels said the win was “massive” and that Forest were “almost there now” with 3 games left, as the visitors pushed closer to safety. [3, 5, 6]
