- Chelsea came from behind to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 on Saturday evening
- Sterling & Jackson struck late after Hudson-Odoi looked to have fired Forest to win
- Defeat means Forest must wait until final day of season before safety is confirmed
Chelsea kept their European dream alive with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.
Mykhailo Mudryk put Chelsea ahead early on before Willy Boly tied things up, and former Blue Callum Hudson-Odoi looked to have fired Forest to victory with a lovely goal 15 minutes from the final whistle.
However, a quick-fire double from Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson secured all three points for Chelsea, with the victory also ensuring Forest's wait for mathematical safety in the relegation battle will carry over to the final day of the season.
How the game unfolded
Djordje Petrovic had to bat away an attempted lob from Chris Wood inside the opening 90 seconds as Forest made a bright start, but Chelsea weathered the early storm and took the lead eight minutes in.
Mudryk was played through by Cole Palmer and the Ukraine international needed just one touch before slotting his effort beyond Matz Sels to fire Chelsea ahead.
The lead did not last long, however, as Boly rose highest to meet a Morgan Gibbs-White free kick, with his header ending up in the back of the net after a deflection off Conor Gallagher.
Sels got down well to deny Nicolas Jackson after another through-ball from Palmer, before Conor Gallagher avoided a red card scare when he dragged down an advancing Hudson-Odoi. Marc Cucurella was deemed to be providing sufficient cover at the back and so Gallagher escaped with only a yellow card.
Benoit Badiashile crashed over from range as Chelsea continued to struggle for clear-cut chances. The Blues dominated possession in the first half - 71% to Forest's 29% - but managed just five shots on goal compared to ten from the hosts.
Chelsea found themselves through on goal almost immediately after the restart but seemed to play one pass too many as they once again failed to ask any real questions of Sels in the Forest net.
Ryan Yates clipped the outside of the post with a strike from the edge of the penalty area, before Gibbs-White headed against the same piece of woodwork from just two yards out.
Chelsea struck the post themselves on the hour mark after Thiago Silva met Palmer's free kick and the close-calls kept coming when Hudson-Odoi's curling effort thumped against the top of the Chelsea bar.
There would be no stopping Hudson-Odoi 75 minutes in as the former Blue bent a lovely effort into the side netting to put Forest into a lead which few could argue they did not deserve.
However, just a few minutes later, substitute Sterling responded with a similar strike which left Sels with no chance, and Chelsea fans were quickly sent into a frenzy when Jackson headed the Blues back into the lead.
Sels denied Malo Gusto from point-blank range in stoppage time but Gibbs-White's sliced strike late on ensured Chelsea left with all three points.
Nottingham Forest player ratings (5-4-1)
GK: Matz Sels - 5/10 - Will be frustrated to have allowed Mudryk's strike to go under him but couldnt't do a whole lot about the other goals.
RB: Gonzalo Montiel - 5/10 - Came up short in a foot-race with Mudryk, which is hardly a criticism, but looked determined to get himself booked with a handful of feisty challenges.
CB: Willy Boly - 7/10 - A slice of good fortune for his goal but Boly earned that luck with a solid performance at the back.
CB: Murillo - 7/10 - Got away with a handball shout similar to that of Gabriel Magalhaes against Bayern Munich. Pulled off some sensational passes.
CB: Moussa Niakhate - 6/10 - Had his work cut out for him trying to track Jackson and did a pretty good job of it.
LB: Ola Aina - 7/10 - Very comfortable up against Madueke at the back. Rarely looked under pressure.
RM: Morgan Gibbs-White - 7/10 - Grabbed the assist for Boly's equaliser in a disciplined performance which saw him try to neutralise Cucurella in central positions.
CM: Ryan Yates - 7/10 - In an absolute battle in midfield and looked to have injured himself on a number of occasions. Gave his all for the cause.
CM: Danilo - 7/10 - Proved to be a really stubborn obstacle in the midfield battle, with Chelsea struggling to get around him.
LM: Callum Hudson-Odoi - 7/10 - Lively on the counter and, after crashing against the bar, corrected his sights to curl home a winner.
ST: Chris Wood - 6/10 - Found himself in several good positions and was a little unfortunate not to get his name on the score sheet.
Substitutes
SUB: Anthony Elanga (71' for Yates) - 5/10
SUB: Harry Toffolo (71' for Montiel) - 5/10
SUB: Taiwo Awoniyi (86' for Hudson-Odoi) - N/A
SUB: Nicolas Dominguez (86' for Niakhate) - N/A
Subs not used: Matt Turner (GK), Andrew Omobamidele, Ibrahim Sangare, Cheikhou Kouyate, Divock Origi
Manager
Nuno Espirito Santo - 7/10 - Neutralised Chelsea's new tactics with real ease and will be frustrated not to have claimed a share of the points from this one.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Djordje Petrovic - 6/10 - A smart save to deny Wood early on. Couldn't do a whole lot about the deflected equaliser. Brave to claim high from corners on a number of occasions.
RB: Trevoh Chalobah - 5/10 - Clearly hesitant to take too many risks up against Hudson-Odoi, who got in behind him once or twice.
CB: Thiago Silva - 5/10 - Slow on the ball, which did not help Chelsea's cause.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - 5/10 - Rarely looked comfortable either on the ball or off it. Given a tough battle by Wood.
LB: Marc Cucurella - 5/10 - Struggled to find space as Forest appeared to figure out his tactics early on.
DM: Moises Caicedo - 7/10 - Buzzed around with energy and really grew into the game as the pressure started to ramp up.
DM: Conor Gallagher - 5/10 - Was marked tightly and found it incredibly hard to influence the game as a result.
RM: Noni Madueke - 5/10 - Struggled up against Aina. Seemed reluctant to try and take on the former Chelsea youngster.
AM: Cole Palmer - 8/10 - Some truly sensational passes to try and get Chelsea firing. A lovely assist for Mudryk's opener as he once again proved to be the team's talisman.
LM: Mykhailo Mudryk - 6/10 - Took his goal well at the start of a performance which saw him try to use his pace to cause problems for Montiel.
ST: Nicolas Jackson - 6/10 - Offered little at the top of Chelsea's team aside from the all-important winner.
Substitutes
SUB: Christopher Nkunku (58' for Madueke) - 6/10
SUB: Malo Gusto (58' for Badiashile) - 6/10
SUB: Raheem Sterling (73' for Mudryk) - 7/10
SUB: Reece James (79' for Gallagher) - 7/10
Subs not used: Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi, Cesare Casadei, Lesley Ugochukwu
Manager
Mauricio Pochettino - 7/10 - Didn't appear to have any answers to Forest's stubborn setup but his substitutions undoubtedly changed the game in Chelsea's favour.
