Chelsea made it three wins on the bounce against Nottingham Forest as an impressive second-half performance saw them claim a 3–0 victory in the Premier League at the City Ground.
The Blues underwhelmed during a tepid first half and could have been behind at the break after surrendering some terrific chances, but goals from Josh Acheampong and Pedro Neto shortly after the restart offered them a much-needed cushion.
Forest spurned several more glorious opportunities as they attempted to reduce Chelsea’s lead and were punished for their wastefulness in the closing 10 minutes as Reece James rattled home a third for the visitors from a corner. The only downside for the Blues was Malo Gusto’s late red card—their fifth dismissal in their last six matches including Enzo Maresca’s sending off against Liverpool.
The result moves Chelsea within striking distance of the Premier League’s summit and piles even more misery on under-fire Forest manager Ange Postecoglou, who is still without a victory since taking charge at the City Ground.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sánchez—8.2: Despite Forest creating some excellent chances, Sánchez wasn’t worked too often by the hosts. However, he was there when required, rebuffing two quickfire efforts from a corner to keep Chelsea two goals ahead.
RB: Reece James—8.7: An excellent performance from Chelsea’s skipper, who benefitted from a rest over the international break. Commanding in his own half and managed a goal, assist and clean sheet as he came to life after the break on his 200th Chelsea appearance.
CB: Josh Acheampong—8.3: Started the match despite an injury scare before the international break and was excellent at the City Ground. Nullified the powerful Taiwo Awoniyi in the first half and opened his Chelsea account with a header after the break.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah—7.5: Suffered from Chelsea’s sloppiness in the early stages, but was much sharper after the restart. Helped limit Awoniyi, Igor Jesus and Chris Wood as Forest pushed for a goal.
LB: Marc Cucurella—7.7: The Spaniard wasn’t at his creative best at Forest, but didn’t need to be as his fellow full back James took on the burden. Defensively sound once again as he wrestled with Forest’s forwards and the overlapping Neco Williams.
DM: Malo Gusto—5.4: The only disappointment from the trip to Forest was Gusto’s late red card. A needless dismissal in the 87th minute with Chelsea already leading by three goals now means he will miss next weekend’s clash with Sunderland.
DM: Roméo Lavia—6.7: Almost gifted Forest an early goal with a terrible touch inside his own third and looked a tad rusty on his first start since the summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. Typically combative in the centre of the pitch, but overstepped the mark on several occasions.
RW: Pedro Neto—8.7: Having been largely anonymous in the first half, Neto was electric from the first minute of the second. He was Chelsea’s catalyst and tormented Forest’s defence with his speed and energy down the flanks, benefitting from a switch to the right wing after the restart. Produced an excellent assist and also got on the scoresheet.
AM: Andrey Santos—6.6: Playing in a less familiar advanced midfield position, the Brazilian was handed Chelsea’s best first-half chances, but failed to test Matz Sels with either. Hooked at half time as Maresca called for reinforcements.
LW: Alejandro Garnacho—7.0: Despite a lively display in the first half, Garnacho failed to deliver in the final third when presented with the chance to pick out a teammate. Withdrawn at the break for Jamie Gittens.
ST: João Pedro—7.2: Grew in influence once moving to the No.10 position in the second half and was neat and tidy when operating between the lines. Will be disappointed not to be among the goals as Forest collapsed.
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Jorrel Hato, Facundo Buonanotte, Tyrique George
Nottingham Forest (5-3-2)
Starting XI: Matz Sels (GK); Neco Williams, Nikola Milenković, Morato, Murillo, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Douglas Luiz, Ibrahim Sangaré, Elliot Anderson; Morgan Gibbs-White, Taiwo Awoniyi.
Subs used: Igor Jesus, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood, Nicolò Savona.
Player of the Match: Pedro Neto
Nottingham Forest 0–2 Chelsea—How It Unfolded at the City Ground
Chelsea were hamstrung by defensive injuries against Liverpool before the international break and their misfortune spread to midfield ahead of the trip to the City Ground. Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández missed out entirely through injury, while Moisés Caicedo could only make the bench.
Maresca, who was seated in the stands due to suspension, witnessed an unconvincing start from his injury-stricken side, who lacked finesse under intense pressure from the hosts. The Blues surrendered possession in dangerous areas early in proceedings, offering Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White quality opportunities before the 20-minute mark.
Chelsea found their feet as the first half progressed and finished the stronger of the sides, but they still lacked cutting edge in the final third against Forest’s five-man backline. Speculative efforts from Reece James and Pedro Neto were their only shots on target, while Andrey Santos spurned their most promising chances.
Chelsea made three changes at the break as they sought to take control in the Midlands and it took them just four minutes to edge in front after the restart. Neto’s surging dart down the left-hand side and pinpoint cross into the penalty area resulted in the unmarked Acheampong opening the scoring as he powered home his first Chelsea goal.
⚡️ N E T O ⚽️#CFC | #NFOCHE pic.twitter.com/3fxpMWUlz3
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 18, 2025
Within the blink of an eye, it was two. Neto was the orchestrator of the first and etched his name onto the scoresheet just three minutes later via a free kick from the edge of the box, with Sels beaten far too easily by a fairly central strike. The Portuguese winger, who had been frustrated in the first half, was running riot.
Forest’s profligacy had proven costly in the first half and prevented them from unnerving Chelsea shortly after the hour mark. Neco Williams skied an effort from close range with goal gaping, before Nikola Milenković and Ibrahim Sangaré were denied in quick succession by Robert Sánchez.
Chelsea had improved significantly after the break, but had good fortune to thank for their clean sheet remaining intact 20 minutes from time. Igor Jesus appeared to have reduced the deficit, but his close-range effort smashed the crossbar and then clipped the post before bouncing away from Sánchez’s goal.
The Blues eventually added some extra gloss to the scoreline, taking advantage of Forest’s inability to defend crosses once more. Sels punched Estêvão’s corner directly into the path of James, who fired beyond the Belgian goalkeeper to cap an impressive second-half display.
Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea Half-Time Stats
Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Nottingham Forest: Impressive Effort Ends on Sour Note.