Chelsea is hitting rock bottom this season.
On Monday evening, the Blues faced yet another setback, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest (16th place) at Stamford Bridge.
Interim manager Callum McFarlane has taken over a squad that is demoralized, unbalanced, and in disarray, leaving Chelsea positioned at ninth in the Premier League standings—effectively ruling them out of next season’s Champions League.
Since March 21, Chelsea has had a dismal record in the Premier League: six consecutive losses and a single goal scored!
Against Nottingham, Chelsea fell behind within the first two minutes and quickly unraveled. The second goal came when French international Malo Gusto committed a foul while tugging a shirt, resulting in a penalty. Just 15 minutes in, Forest led 2-0!
The match also saw a concerning delay before half-time when Jesse Derry, making his Premier League debut at age 18, was stretchered off and administered oxygen after colliding with Zach Abbott (concussion protocol).
Upon the resumption of play, Cole Palmer missed a penalty that could have reduced the deficit.
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After the hour mark, Robert Sánchez was also substituted after a clash with Morgan Gibbs-White. In total, four players had to be substituted due to head injuries: Sánchez, Gibbs-White, Derry, and Abbott.
The lone highlight for Chelsea was João Pedro’s spectacular overhead kick during stoppage time, bringing the score to 1-3. The Brazilian has arguably been Chelsea’s standout player this season.
Chelsea still has a chance to salvage their season by winning the FA Cup on May 16, but that task appears daunting as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are overwhelming favorites for the trophy at Wembley.
The memories of Chelsea’s triumph in the Club World Cup now seem very far away.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.