Nottingham Forest ease past dismal Chelsea to close in on Premier League safety

[p]Interim [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Blues[/a] boss Calum McFarlane delivered an FA Cup semi-final win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/leeds/tUxUbLR2/"]Leeds United[/a] in his first game in charge, but any semblance of a new manager bounce went up in smoke inside two minutes.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bakwa-dilane/x4JfNzq1/"]Dilane Bakwa[/a] stood up a cross for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/awoniyi-taiwo/OWFf8WFm/"]Taiwo Awoniyi[/a], who rose to guide a lovely header past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sanchez-robert/Q74F6aqr/"]Robert Sanchez[/a], seizing his opportunity amid Vitor Pereira’s wholesale changes.[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandez-enzo/nZnbEVWP/"]Enzo Fernandez[/a] came close to a quick response, but his curling effort struck the far post, and things soon went from bad to worse for the hosts.[/p][p][b]Another cross from the right seemed to panic [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gusto-malo/YNCrLSO2/"]Malo Gusto[/a], who tugged back Awoniyi, leaving the VAR with no choice but to award a penalty. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/igor-jesus/zPQTw5fe/"]Igor Jesus[/a] converted it, with the home fans left shell-shocked by yet another new low.[/b][/p][image alt="Match stats" id="9995c2d6-ea0c-4f81-8c10-495eb2495c38" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="abf0b944-2566-45d2-84d5-27a7afa6859b" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/morato/M1x2dIqA/"]Morato[/a] was the only survivor in defence from the Tricky Trees’ European endeavours, and the 24-year-old was the most experienced figure in the back line, which featured a full debut for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/netz-luca/YZUjjz4A/"]Luca Netz[/a] and just a second league start for 19-year-old [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/abbott-zach/MseItp6n/"]Zach Abbott[/a].[/p][p]It was a moment of inexperience from the full-back that gave Chelsea a little-merited chance to get back into the contest on the brink of half-time, going for the ball with debutant [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/derry-jesse/4deYk3pg/"]Jesse Derry[/a], but prompting a nasty clash of heads in the process.[/p][p]There was a 10-minute wait as the Blues youngster was stretchered from the field, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/palmer-cole/h8agbDt7/"]Cole Palmer[/a] could not keep his cool, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sels-matz/Qqo54dB7/"]Matz Sels[/a] denying him smartly from the penalty spot.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/colwill-levi/CQXNItIG/"]Levi Colwill[/a]’s long-awaited return was a welcome start to the second half, but it was the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Forest[/a] bench that made the more telling contribution, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gibbs-white-morgan/beZNT1bB/"]Morgan Gibbs-White[/a] coming on to assist Awoniyi for his second of the match following a VAR check on a tight offside call.[/b][/p][p]The playmaker’s stint in the game was short-lived, however, as another nasty collision forced both him and Chelsea goalkeeper Sanchez from the field.[/p][image alt="Momentum" id="d6da6194-d878-4bb8-83d1-7d0fe649ea7b" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="5493e942-8ce6-46ff-ba41-c7fb4e70c2aa" original-width="1920" original-height="1080" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/joao-pedro/CAmJERl2/"]Joao Pedro[/a] thought he had at least ended his side’s nine-hour wait for a Premier League goal, but his would-be consolation was chalked off for offside.[/p][p][b]He did belatedly put an end to the dire drought in stoppage time, doing so in style with a picture-book bicycle kick, but the contest was long since settled. [/b][/p][p]Chelsea have now lost six league games in a row, and their worst run since an equivalent sequence of defeats in 1993 leaves them in ninth place, with the top five now mathematically out of reach.[/p][p]Forest move six points clear of the drop zone with three games left, having effectively secured safety courtesy of a seven-game undefeated run, and their attention will now turn to their UEFA Europa League semi-final second-leg matchup with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a].[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/awoniyi-taiwo/OWFf8WFm/"]Taiwo Awoniyi[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Nottingham Forest[/a])[/b][/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/chelsea-4fGZN2oK/nottingham-UsushcZr/?mid=n1pZG14F"]Catch up on the match with Flashscore[/a][/h2]