5 talking points as Chelsea lose to Nottingham Forest despite £1bn spend
Chelsea's mixed start to the Premier League season continued as Nottingham Forest secured a famous 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
It had been 28 years since Forest last won away at Chelsea but Steve Cooper's side produced an impressive performance to rewrite the history books. Anthony Elanga struck in the 48th minute to earn The Reds their first away victory of the season and a vital three points on the road.
As for Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his side failed to score for the first time this term - despite spending £1billion on new players since Todd Boehly took over last summer. Nicolas Jackson squandered the Blues' best chance late on as he fired over Matt Turner's crossbar.
Chelsea now have just four points from their opening four Premier League games, which is their worst start to a season since 1995. Here are five talking points from west London.
Caicedo mistake costly
After making the £105m move from Brighton last month, Moises Caicedo has endured somewhat of a disappointing start to life at Stamford Bridge. Despite helping Chelsea to a 3-0 win over Luton last weekend, Caicedo gave away a penalty on his debut in a 3-1 defeat at West Ham and made another costly mistake against Forest.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
The Ecuadorian received the ball inside his own-half, but his first touch was too heavy and it allowed Forest to win possession back. Awoniyi played the ball through Thiago Silva's legs and into Elanga, who touch a couple of touches before sliding the ball past Sanchez and into the far corner.
Anthony Elanga scored his first Nottingham Forest goal against Chelsea (Getty Images)Palmer cameo
Having joined the Blues from Manchester City for £42.5m on Deadline Day, Cole Palmer was handed his Chelsea debut in the 61st minute as he tried to conjure up a Blues fightback. And the 21-year-old made an impact during his short time on the pitch.
In fact, Palmer registered more successful attacking third passes (18) than any other forward for either Chelsea or Forest. Only Enzo Fernandez made more (32). Meanwhile, Palmer registered more successful take-ons (3/4) than anyone during the second-half of the match.
Although Palmer wasn't able to help Chelsea get anything from the match, Blues fans will no doubt be buoyed with what they saw from the England Under 21 international.
(Getty Images)Lack of cutting edge for Chelsea
Despite scoring three goals at home to Luton last Friday, it felt as though the same problems re-appeared for Chelsea against Forest. The Blues were lacklustre in the final third and struggled to cause Forest many issues all afternoon. In fact, Chelsea had just two shots on target.
Chelsea's best chance of the match fell to Jackson. Sterling did excellently to get to the by-line, before pulling the ball back to the Senegal forward. However, Jackson leant back and scooped the ball over the crossbar. Apart from that, Ben Chilwell and Sterling both worked hard but lacked quality when it came to the finishing touch.
Impressive Forest
It proved to be a dramatic Deadline Day at The City Ground as Forest signed seven players, but also saw the 11th hour departure of Brennan Johnson to Tottenham. The 22-year-old has been integral to The Reds' success in recent years and scored eight Premier League goals last season.
But Forest now have to make do without Johnson and Cooper had to slightly adjust his system for the trip to Chelsea, compared to how The Reds lined-up against Manchester United in their last league outing. Orel Mangala was brought into the side as Cooper went with what looked like a 3-5-2 shape, rather than going with 3-4-3.
Steve Cooper and Anthony Elanga celebrate after Nottingham Forest's win over Chelsea (Getty Images)This meant Mangala played in a midfield-three alongside Danilo and Ryan Yates, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Awoniyi as a front-two. Forest's new-look system stifled Chelsea for the majority of the first-half as The Reds limited Pochettino's side to few clear-cut chances.
Forest went back to 3-4-3 after Danilo pulled up with a hamstring issue as Elanga came on his place. And the Sweden winger made a massive difference off the bench as he scored Forest's opener, slotting home for his first Reds goal since his move from Manchester United.
Hakim Ziyech brutally denied deadline day transfer as PSG furious at Chelsea
The Reds did not create much going forward - apart from a counter-attacking chance in injury-time - but that did not matter as they defended superbly throughout to secure a crucial win.
Where it leaves both teams
Chelsea's second Premier League defeat of the season leaves them in 11th, having won just one of their first four matches. This is despite spending £434.5m on new arrivals this summer, with Jackson, Axel Disasi, Caicedo and Robert Sanchez all starting after joining the club in the recent transfer window.
As for Forest, they move into the top half and into ninth, leapfrogging Chelsea in the process. It has been a decent start for The Reds this season, after playing three of their first four matches away at Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea. Their other match came at The City Ground as they beat Sheffield United 2-1.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
