Chelsea overcame an injury crisis and a shaky first half to beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground on Saturday, piling further pressure on Forest boss Ange Postecoglou, who remains winless after eight games in charge.
Teenager Josh Acheampong broke the deadlock early in the second half with a powerful header, before Pedro Neto doubled the lead minutes later with a curling free-kick that left goalkeeper Matz Sels rooted. Reece James sealed the result late on with a sharp finish on his 200th appearance for Chelsea.
Postecoglou, who took over at Forest in September following his sacking by Tottenham, now faces serious scrutiny from club owner Evangelos Marinakis. The Greek businessman reportedly left his seat midway through the match, a telling sign of frustration as Forest’s poor run continued.
Despite dominating the first half, Forest failed to capitalise on multiple chances. Elliot Anderson hesitated in a one-on-one, Morgan Gibbs-White fired over from distance, and substitute Igor Jesus later struck the underside of the bar. Chelsea’s Robert Sánchez made key saves to preserve the clean sheet.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were missing several key players, including Cole Palmer, Benoît Badiashile, and Enzo Fernández, while Moises Caicedo started from the bench. Manager Enzo Maresca watched from the stands due to suspension but still saw his tactical switches at halftime introducing Caicedo, Jamie Gittens, and Marc Guiu change the game’s tempo immediately.
Although Malo Gusto was sent off late for a second yellow card, Chelsea’s composure and discipline in attack were enough to secure their third consecutive league victory. The result lifted them to fourth place, just two points behind leaders Arsenal.
Postecoglou had insisted on Friday that his projects “always end with a trophy” if given time but patience at Forest appears to be wearing thin. Reports suggest Sean Dyche, formerly of Burnley and Everton, is a frontrunner to replace him.
With Forest hovering just above the relegation zone, Saturday’s defeat could mark the final chapter of Postecoglou’s short and turbulent spell at the club.
