Chelsea’s hopes of challenging for the Premier League title suffered a major blow as they lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The hosts dominated the possession and chances, but were unable to find the finishing touch. They were punished by two goals from Forest striker Lewis Grabban, who scored in the 17th and 71st minutes.
Chelsea pulled one back through Timo Werner in the 82nd minute, but it was too little too late. The Blues failed to break down Forest’s resilient defence, and were left frustrated by the final whistle.
The result leaves Chelsea fourth in the table, seven points behind leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand. Forest, meanwhile, climbed to 14th place, six points above the relegation zone.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel admitted that his team were not clinical enough in front of goal, and praised Forest’s performance. He said: “We had enough chances to win the game, but we didn’t take them. We have to accept that we lost to a team that played with a lot of courage and quality. They defended very well and took their chances. We have to analyse what went wrong and improve for the next game.”
Forest manager Chris Hughton was delighted with his team’s display, and said that it was a historic win for the club. He said: “It’s a fantastic result for us. To come here and beat Chelsea is not easy. We showed a lot of character and determination. We knew we had to defend well, but we also created some good opportunities. It’s a very proud day for everyone at the club.”
