João Pedro expressed sympathy for Chelsea fans following their 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest on Monday, marking a continuation of their disappointing performance.
This defeat marks Chelsea’s sixth consecutive loss in the Premier League, a streak not seen since 1993, eliminating their chances of finishing in the top five for automatic Champions League qualification.
With this setback, Chelsea’s chances of qualifying for other European tournaments also appear slim. The team dropped to ninth place after being defeated by a Forest side that made eight changes, with a tough match against Liverpool looming next.
Chelsea fell behind just 98 seconds into the match due to a mistake during a throw-in, setting a challenging tone for the rest of the game.
“We conceded too early, which made it tough to turn the game around,” João Pedro commented. “We need to avoid these mistakes in every match.”
“In the Premier League, conceding early makes it hard to make a comeback. We all need to reflect on our performances, including myself, to improve. I feel for the fans; we need to identify areas for growth.”
Any hope that Chelsea’s recent FA Cup semifinal victory over Leeds marked a turning point was dashed by Forest’s performance against them.
Manager Vitor Pereira seemed to prioritize Thursday’s Europa League semifinal against Aston Villa, but the team they fielded in west London outplayed Chelsea in all aspects.
Igor Jesus netted a penalty to make it 2-0 after Malo Gusto fouled Awoniyi, who then scored another goal in the second half from a Morgan Gibbs-White assist.
João Pedro managed to score with a stunning overhead kick in stoppage time, which at least prevented Chelsea from suffering their first-ever sixth consecutive loss without scoring, eliciting ironic cheers from the few remaining fans.
The day was further marred by a missed penalty from Cole Palmer and a serious head injury to teenage debutant Jesse Derry, who required oxygen on the field before being rushed to the hospital on what proved to be a disastrous day for the club.
“We need to make improvements,” João Pedro affirmed. “Everyone has to elevate their game, myself included. We consistently discuss how to win matches. While we prevailed against Leeds last week, we fell short this time. We must discover how to achieve consistency.”
“Motivation is always present. We need to fight for every point and every match, and in the end, we can evaluate what we have accomplished.”
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Two-goal hero Awoniyi from Forest, who is unable to participate on Thursday, has faith that his team will complete the job against Villa and secure a spot in the Europa League final, with a 1-0 aggregate lead after the first leg.
“Looking at our season and our current position, the team has been phenomenal,” noted Awoniyi. “They’ve overcome a lot, and with the momentum we have, just a few games are left.”
“Next up is Villa, another crucial match. We approach each game with a mentality to secure three points, and I truly believe we will carry that mindset into the match against Villa.”