Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice as a backup Nottingham Forest team made a significant move toward Premier League safety by handing Chelsea their sixth straight league loss.
Forest manager Vitor Pereira implemented eight changes while considering Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa.
However, two goals by Awoniyi and one from Igor Jesus allowed the visitors to extend their lead to six points above 18th-placed West Ham in the relegation zone.
Chelsea, on the other hand, netted a late consolation goal by striker Joao Pedro, just escaping the unwanted achievement of six consecutive league matches without scoring for the first time ever in the club’s history.
Their gloomy afternoon was encapsulated when Cole Palmer failed to convert a first-half penalty after academy winger Jesse Derry, 18, suffered a concerning head injury on his debut senior start.
This marked Chelsea’s initial Premier League game following Liam Rosenior’s dismissal, with interim coach Calum McFarlane—who led the team to a 1-0 FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds United last week—overseeing the match for the first time at Stamford Bridge.
Forest took the lead in just two minutes as Awoniyi was unmarked to head in a well-placed cross from winger Dilane Bakwa, who had evaded Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella.
It followed a video assistant referee (VAR) review, with Gusto perhaps fortunate to have escaped a red card.
Enzo Fernandez struck the post, and Igor Jesus compelled a solid save at the opposite end before Derry earned Chelsea a penalty after a severe head clash with Zach Abbott that resulted in a six-minute delay and both academy players being substituted.
Palmer’s soft penalty kick aimed at the corner was saved by Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels while fully stretched out.
Chelsea brought on striker Liam Delap for Derry and defender Levi Colwill at the break but allowed another goal seven minutes into the second half when Awoniyi scored from substitute Morgan Gibbs-White’s low delivery.
Gibbs-White later engaged in another serious collision with Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, resulting in both players leaving the field with their heads bandaged due to bleeding.
Joao Pedro had a goal disallowed for offside late in the game, but later netted a stunning overhead kick in stoppage time to break Chelsea’s more than 550-minute drought without a league goal dating back to early March.
Forest holds the 16th position but has considerably improved their chances of staying up, whereas Chelsea remains in ninth place, 10 points behind the Champions League spots—qualifying was an aim established at the season’s onset.
