Chelsea suffered a 3-1 defeat at home against bottom-placed Nottingham Forest on Monday, marking their sixth consecutive loss in the league. The only bright spot was a spectacular acrobatic goal by Joao Pedro in stoppage time, which saved the “Blues” from the embarrassment of a sixth consecutive defeat without scoring in the Premier League.
Currently, Chelsea and interim coach Calum McFarlane, who replaced Liam Rosenior, sit in ninth place with 48 points, ten points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa, who currently hold the last Champions League qualifying spot. On the other hand, Nottingham Forest (16th, 42 points) took a huge step towards avoiding relegation by moving six points clear of 18th-placed West Ham with three games left.
Nottingham Forest can now focus on their Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa (1-0 win in the first leg). For Chelsea, however, the end of the season seems to be a slow decline, despite having an FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 16 to win a trophy and secure Europa League qualification.
Chelsea conceded two goals within the first 15 minutes at Stamford Bridge, with Matz Sels saving a penalty from Cole Palmer and their 18-year-old forward, Jesse Derry, departing on a stretcher after a heavy collision. Taiwo Awoniyi, who scored within 100 seconds of kick-off, netted a brace in the second half where goalkeeper Robert Sanchez also suffered an injury.
Chelsea had not lost six consecutive league matches since November 1993. Their upcoming fixtures include matches against Liverpool, Tottenham, and Sunderland.
