Nigerian striker #09 Taiwo Awoniyi (L) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s third goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge in London on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) /
By Victory Oghene
Nottingham Forest have dashed Chelsea’s hope of moving up the league table as the club defeated Chelsea 3-1 on Monday
Nigerian striker, Taiwo Awoniyi marked his 100th Forest appearance with the early opener at Stamford Bridge and Igor Jesus’s penalty doubled their advantage soon afterwards.
Cole Palmer compounded Chelsea’s misery when he missed a penalty late in the first half.
Awoniyi struck again after the interval and Joao Pedro’s eye-catching bicycle kick in the closing stages was no consolation for lacklustre Chelsea.
Languishing in ninth place, Chelsea’s wretched run has left them on the verge of failing to reach next season’s Champions League.
Chelsea have lost six consecutive league games for the first time since 1993.
Scoring for the first time in six league matches was the only positive in a shambolic display.
Calum McFarlane’s team are 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa, with only nine points available in the race for the top-five finish that secures Champions League qualification.
Forest scored their third goal in the 52nd minute when Morgan Gibbs-White picked out Awoniyi and he tapped in as Chelsea appealed in vain for offside.
Forest’s third successive league victory moved them six points clear of the relegation zone, with four more points needed to guarantee survival.
