When Chelsea played Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge, they had their poorest start in a Premier League game in nine years.
When Chelsea’s center backs were questioned and Taiwo Awoniyi left inside two minutes, Calum McFarlane’s debut game in command in West London could not have gone worse.
A largely rotated Forest team was given a penalty after just fifteen minutes for a shirt pull by Malo Gusto, which Ivor Jesus converted.
Which Chelsea player was most at fault for the defeat to Nottingham Forest?
Chelsea go 2-0 down in quickest time at Stamford Bridge since 2017
After Jesse Derry’s valiant efforts saw him stretchered off late in the first half, Cole Palmer was unable to convert from the penalty spot.
Awoniyi’s goal early in the second half added to Chelsea’s Premier League problems, but their dreadful first quarter was far worse than anything Liam Rosenior had delivered at Stamford Bridge.
It was actually the fastest Chelsea have fallen down by two goals at home since their 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace in 2017.
Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke scored in the first 11 minutes after Cesc Fabregas had actually given the Blues the lead.
Chelsea in real danger of missing out on Europe completely
Chelsea’s failure to advance to ninth position in the league rankings following their defeat to Forest cast considerable doubt on their capacity to participate in any European competition.
If Chelsea didn’t even qualify for the Conference League, it would be a huge financial blow, especially as they have to follow UEFA’s regulations after being sanctioned last summer.
Their last chance to salvage some joy from the 2025–2026 season would be to win the FA Cup final, where club captain Reece James should be healthy and prepared to participate.
Following incredibly poor performances by Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill made his season debut at the back.
