9.26pm BST
Reaction Related: ‘Not acceptable’: McFarlane bemoans Chelsea’s dire start in capitulation to Forest
5.49pm BST
Joao Pedro: “From the beginning, we conceded too early and against Forest it’s difficult to change the game,” says the Chelsea striker in an interview with Sky Sports. “I think we should do better,” he adds, with considerable understatement.
“We need to find a way to try to not do these mistakes every game. We need to start to win games. This is the Premier League and if you concede too early after that it’s very difficult to come back. Everyone needs to look at themselves – me included. We need to find a way to do better. I feel sorry for the fans - tomorrow we see what has gone wrong.
“It’s difficult because I don’t think it’s about the coach. It’s about the players and it’s on us to step up, me included. It’s difficult to say something.”
5.42pm BST
Jamie Carragher: The Sky Sports pundit has been scathing in his criticism of Chelsea’s latest dismal performance. “It’s shocking and it comes from the top,” he says. “There’s five or six really top players on the pitch today and they’ve been beaten by Nottingham Forest’s B team.
“Less than 12 months ago, they were taking PSG to the cleaners. There’s no connection between the players and the staff, the players and the fans. In some ways, it’s a good thing because it tells you that football isn’t just all about spending money, buying players and this revolving door. It’s about creating togetherness and there’s nothing there. They look like a broken football club right now.”
I would say that this performance wasn’t as shameful as the defeat against Brighton that led to Liam Rosenior’s dismissal, because at least some of Chelsea’s players were trying today. But the performance bar is now so low that it’s difficult to know exactly how much gas there might be in this explosion implosion.
5.38pm BST
Matz Sels: “A good moment just before half time and they [Chelsea] were coming back in the game,” says the Forest goalkeeper of his penalty save from Cole Palmer. “I was happy to help the team in a crucial moment and this win is massive for us. There are still three games to play so we’re not yet done, but we’re almost there now.
“We are doing well, the gaffer brings a lot of positive energy. He changed a lot of players today but [Dilane] Bakwa and Taiwo [Awoniyi] they performed really well. I’m really happy for them because they don’t always play but they’ve showed they can be there so I’m really happy for these guys.”
5.35pm BST
Taiwo Awoniyi: “Football is a team game, everyone needs to be ready and it’s not about everyone starting it’s about the team,” said the man of the match in a crowded field full of Nottingham Forest players in an interview with Sky Sports.
“We came here with the mentality to win. Good ball from [Dilane] Bakwa [for his goal] as well and the way we started the game. We had more of the ball, brilliant from the team. Kudos to the manager and the staff - not only the people on the ground but the nutritionists, physio. It’s all about the team and looking forward to the next game. I believe it could be an amazing season for us.”
5.32pm BST
Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest Premier League match report: Unlike the vast majority of Chelsea’s fans, our man at Stamford Bridge sat out this eventful match until the bitter end. Click on the link below to read Paul MacInnes’s match report …
Related: Awoniyi doubles up as much-changed Forest step towards safety and add to Chelsea gloom
5.27pm BST
Nottingham Forest: Following today’s excellent win, Forest are now unbeaten in 10 games and take a one-goal lead into their Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston VIlla on Thursday night. Vitor Pereira has done a cracking job since his appointment and his shrewd selection gamble paid rich dividends this afternoon. His only concern will be that Morgan Gibbs-White, who came on at half-time, may miss the Villa game through injury. The Forest talisman was forced off with a head injury after a collision with Robert Sanchez and could be sidelined if he is found to have suffered a concussion.
5.18pm BST
Full time: Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest Peep! Peeeep! Peeeeeeeep! Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring for a near second string Forest side, who doubled their lead through an Igor Jesus penalty in a first-half that was marred by a serious head injury to Jesse Derry on the occasion of his full senior debut. The Chelsea winger came out second best from an accidental clash of heads with Zach Abbott and has since been taken to hospital for “precautionary tests”.
Cole Palmer missed the penalty won by Derry as a result of his collision with Abbott and Morgan Gibbs-White teed up Awoniyi for Forest’s third before going off with a head injury following another clash that also led to the substitution of Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Joao Pedro at least spared Chelsea the ignominy of losing six top flight games in a row without scoring, taking the bare look off their half of the scoreboard with an acrobatic effort in added time.
5.11pm BST
90+9 min: And to think that until they appointed Vitor Pereira, Nottingham FOrest were the basket case club of the division. Indeedc, it was a home defeat against Chelsea that did for Ange Postecoglou. Now the final whistle has gone at Stamford Bridge and it is Forest who have opened a six-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone and have a Europa League semi-final second leg to look forward to, while Chelsea are the laughing stock (along with Spurs, of course).
5.08pm BST
90+8 min: Awoniyi breaks upfield and passes the ball to Omari Hutchinson, who heads for the corner flag in a bid to run down the clock. Offside.
5.07pm BST
90+6 min: Cole Palmer escapes down the right and squares the ball Morato blocks the ball out for a corner. James McAtee goes down with cramp and is told to leave the pitch by Anthony Taylor. The corner is headed clear.
5.06pm BST
90+5 min: Chelsea tails are finally up, deep in addfed time. If they can nick another goal, some of those fans who left the ground early will be … watching in a nearby pub, probably on their second or third pint.
5.04pm BST
GOAL! Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest (Joao Pedro 90+3) I stand corrected! Joao Pedro scores Chelsea’s first league goal in over nine hours of top flight football with a splendid effort, chesting down a Cucurella header into the box and beating Sels with a stunning bicycle kick.
Updated at 5.08pm BST
5.02pm BST
90+2 min: We’re into nine minutes of added time.
5.01pm BST
90+1 min: Enzo Fernandez shoots from distance but sends his shot high over the bar.
5.00pm BST
89 min: Empty seats outnumber occupied ones at Stamford Bridge as the Chelsea fans continue to vote with their feet and pour out of the ground. Their team is about to lose it’s sixth top flight match in succession without scoring a goal – a hideously embarrassing club first.
4.58pm BST
86 min: Chelsea win a free-kick wide on the left, near the corner flag. Nothing comes of it. We’re due up to 10 minutes of added time but I’d imagine everyone in Stamford Bridge will be delighted if Anthony Taylor decides not to play any of it. Chelsea could play until midnight and not score one goal, let alone three.
4.55pm BST
85 min: Not for the first time this afternoon, Matz Sels denies Cole Palmer. The Forest goalkeeper was unsighted but got down to his left to bat away the Chelsea midfielder’s long-range effort.
4.54pm BST
84 min: Malo Gusto sends another cross into the Forest box, where Omari Hutchinson out-muscles Cucurella at the far post.
4.53pm BST
82 min: A Cucurella cross from the left is headed away by Yates. A subsequent Malo Gusto delivery into the box is hacked clear by Milenkovic.
4.51pm BST
80 min: Sels is fit to continue but Forest make another change anyway. Omari Hutchinson is on for Dilane Bakwa, who has played well today.
4.49pm BST
79 min: As Chelsea fans leave Stamford Bridge in their droves, there’s another break in play as Matz Sels goes down injured. He looks concerned.
4.48pm BST
77 min: Moises Caicedo is booked for a cynical foul on James McArtee near the halfway line. Liam Delap gets booked too, for dissent. I’m not sure what he was arguing about –Caicedo was bang to rights.
4.47pm BST
76 min: Fernandez sprays the ball wide to Marc Cucurella, who is forced backwards out by the left touchline.
4.45pm BST
No goal! Joao Pedro was offside! It’s as you were! The Brazilian was about three inches offside as the original cross from Cucurella was played his way. It’s Chelsea 0-3 Nottingham Forest.
4.44pm BST
GOAL! Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest (Pedro 73) Chelsea score a goal!!! Having connected with a low Marc Cucurella cross only to be denied by another Matz Sels save from close range, Joao Pedro reacts to head home the rebound on the follow-up. But was he offside? VAR are taking a look.
Updated at 4.47pm BST
4.41pm BST
70 min: Matz Sels rushes off his line and wellies the ball out of play for a throw-in under pressure from Cole Palmer. At 3-0 down and staring down the barrel of their sixth consecutive Premier League defeat without scoring a goal, Chelsea are offering nothing.
4.39pm BST
68 min: Forest free-kick, wide on the right. Anderson’s cross into the box is headed clear.
4.37pm BST
67 min: The game resumes, having now lost four different players to head injuries, two from each side.
4.37pm BST
60+3 min: Gibbs-White was chasing a ball in behind from deep as Sanchez rushed out to deal with it. Both players collided heavily and are now receiving treatment. Sanchez is conscious but has cut his head and is being bandaged up. He’s going to be replaced by Filip Jorgensen.
Morgan Gibbs-White is also conscious and sitting up as he receives treatment. Chris Wood is going to replace Morgan Gibbs-White, who walks off with a bandage around his head. It’s good to see him on his feet but the conern for Forest fans will be that he might miss Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg.
Updated at 4.43pm BST
4.33pm BST
60 min: As the home fans seethe, Forest’s are serenading their fourth head coach of the year, Vitor Periera. There’s another nasty collision as Robert Sanchez and Morgan Gibbs-White go down injured in the Chelsea penalty area after clashing heads. They were both chasing the same bouncing ball. The physios of both teams rush on again.
Updated at 4.37pm BST
4.31pm BST
59 min: Good work from Bakwa leads to Elliot Anderson having a shot from inside the Chelsea penalty area but his effort smacks off Chalobah.
4.29pm BST
58 min: Chelsea substitution: Andrey Santos is on for Romeo Lavia.
4.28pm BST
57 min: “It’s not inconceivable that Forest could end up above Chelsea in the final league table,” writes Eddy Nasen. “That seems particularly insane.”
4.27pm BST
The goal stands! Chelsea’s Premier League misery shows no sign of abating as the technology shows Taiwo Awoniyi had timed his run to perfection before tapping home the Gibbs-White cross from the right. The Forest substitute caught the entire Chelsea defence and midfield napping, making a completely untracked sprint upfield to latch on to a wonderful pass along the deck from – I think – Netz.
4.24pm BST
GOAL! Chelsea 0-3 Nottingham Forest (Awoniyi 52) Awoniyi scores again! Morgan Gibbs-White makes a run from deep to run on to a Luca Netz pass from deep and squares the ball for Awoniyi, who strokes the ball home. There’s a VAR check for offside.
Updated at 4.28pm BST
4.22pm BST
50 min: Sky Sports News report that Jesse Derry has been brought to Chelsea and Wesminster Hospital for “precautionary tests”, a state of affairs that suggests he is conscious and sounds like pretty good news.
4.20pm BST
49 min: James McAtee sends a nice delivery into the Chelsea penalty area, where Morgan Gibbs-White’s touch lets him down.
4.18pm BST
Second half: Chelsea 0-2 Nottingham Forest 46 min: The second half resumes and Forest have brought on some heavy artillery to try to see the win out.
4.17pm BST
Nottingham Forest substitutions: Nikola Milenkovic, Elliott Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White are on for the visitors, with Igor Jesus, Nico Dominguez and Jair Cunha making way.
4.15pm BST
Sound the Colwill klaxon! Levi Colwill hasd been warming up during half-time and he’ll be coming on for Tosin to make his first appearance of the season following his return from an ACL injury.
4.06pm BST
Half-time: Chelsea 0-2 Nottingham Forest A largely second-string Forest side took an early lead when Taiwo Awoniyi headed hom Dilane Bakwa’s cross, then doubled it from the penalty-spot when Malo Gusto gave away an extremely cheap penalty.
Near the end of the half, Forest conceded a penalty when a mistimed header by Zach Abbott caught Jesse Derry in the face, with both players going down injured after the clash of heads. Derry received treatment before bewing stretchered off, while Abbott also had to be replaced. After a long delay, COle Palmer was denied from the spot by Matz Sels.
4.02pm BST
45+14 min: Anthony Taylor blows for half-time and the home fans rouse themselves sufficiently to boo their team off. Forest lead 2-0 at the break in a game that has been overshadowed by a serious injury suffered by Jesse Derry in an accidental clash of heads with his fellow teenager Zach Abbott.
3.59pm BST
45+12 min: The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge remains subdued following that head injury to Jesse Derry and the subsequent penalty miss by Cole Palmer, who is not having a good season.
3.57pm BST
Cole Palmer’s penalty is saved by Matz Sels 45+10 min: Palmer had a long wait and has his penalty saved by Matz Sels, who dived to his right to tip the ball clear with an outstretched hand.
Updated at 4.00pm BST
3.56pm BST
45+8 min: Jesse Derry’s full senior debut ends with him being stretchered off the pitch. Here’s hoping he’s OK. Chelsea have a penalty, as Abbott got to the ball slightly too late as the duo contested a header, catching Derry in the face. There was zero malice, it was just a slightly mistimed header.
3.53pm BST
45+7 min: Nottingham Forest substitution: Neco Williams on for Zach Abbott, who the Forest physios have clearly decided is not fit to continue. A wise move and it’s a concussion substitution, so they’ll be allowed to use an extra sub later in the game, should they need to. Meanwhile in the Chelsea penalty area, Jesse Derry continues to receive medical treatment as players from both teams look on in concern. Fingers crossed for the lad.
Updated at 3.54pm BST
3.50pm BST
45+3 min: On his full debut, Jesse Derry continues to get medical attention after his concerned teammates summoned the physios as soon as he clashed heads with Zach Abbott. The Forest full-back is on his feet, looking a bit groggy. Players from both teams are standing around looking concerned as Derry is tended to by the physios. They’re about to put him on a stretcher and he’ll be replaced by Liam Delap.
3.47pm BST
PENALTY TO CHELSEA! 45+2 min: Derry and Abbott clash heads as they contest the ball when a cross comes in and Anthony Taylor awards Chelsea a penalty. I’m not sure exactly why but for now all the focus is on getting Jesse Derry medical attention. He looks in a bad way but here’s hoping it’s nothing serious.
Updated at 4.13pm BST
3.44pm BST
42 min: Netz fouls Gusto out by the right touchline and Chelsea have a free-kick. Fernandez’s delivery is good but Morato heads it away. Chelsea recycle the ball and Bakwa and Gusto go down in a tangle of limbs in the Forest penalty area. Bakwa was all over the Chelsea full-back, hauling him to the ground, but VAR elect not to intervene for reasons best known to themselves.
3.42pm BST
40 min: Joao Pedro goes to ground in the Forest penalty area under a non-challenge from Yates. His cheeky appeal for a penalty falls on deaf ears and he’s lucky not to get booked for simulation.
3.40pm BST
38 min: Joao Pedro runs the ball out of play as he tries to get the better of Luca Netz out by the right touchline. This is dismal fare from Chelsea, who look so disjointed. Their fans are not happy and who can blame them? What passes for their club is being run into the ground by owners who are, let’s not forget, in the middle of “an extensive period of self-reflection” after sacking Liam Rosenior. I wonder how that’s going for them because I wouldn’t imagine self-reflection is their forte.
3.37pm BST
37 min: James McAtee runs on to a pass towards the edge of the Chelsea penalty area but his first-time shot is deflected out for a goal-kick off his teammate Morato, who is unable to get out of the way.
3.35pm BST
35 min: Chelsea have a penalty claim for a Morato handball turned down and soon after, Derry sends a weak shot through a defender’s legs and into the warm embrace of Matz Sels.
3.34pm BST
30 min: There’s a break in play as Derry recevies treatment after being caught by a stray Yates arm in the penalty area. I’m not sure there was any malice aforethought but I’d need to see it again. It seems Derry got a finger in the eye and lost a contact lens. Younger readers won’t believe this but back in the days before cheap disposable lenses, play would have to be stopped so all 22 players and the match officials could get down on their hands and knees to look for the misplaced contact.
3.29pm BST
28 min: Forest’s makeshift defence is performing extremely well and while it’s too early to sauggest Chelsea have run out of ideas, assorted home players are passing the ball backwards far more often than those who have paid to watch them would like.
3.28pm BST
27 min: Derry j9inks and shimmies into the Forest penalty area with the ball at his feet but runs into a stout wall of red resistance in the form of Ryan Yates. Thou shalt not pass!
3.26pm BST
26 min: Jesse Derry connects with a Malo Gusto cross from the right and tries his luck with an acrobatic scissors-kick. Over the bar. If that had gone in he ought to have announced his immediate retirement because he’d have been unlikely to top that.
Updated at 3.43pm BST
3.24pm BST
24 min: Moises Caicedo gifts possession to Forest with a loose pass but Chelsea soon have the ball back. Seconds later, Caicedo gives the ball away again.
3.23pm BST
22 min: The ball slips out of Netz’s hands as he tried to take a throw-in and the upshot is that Chelsea win cheap possession and then a corner. Nothing comes of it.
3.21pm BST
21 min: Jesse Derry is up against the similarly inexperienced Zach Abbott this afternoon. A central defender by trade, the 19-year-old is being deployed at right-back by Vitor Pereira today.
3.20pm BST
19 min: Derry gets on the ball again and elects to pass it inside so Chelsea can switch play to the right wing. Forest win a free-kick a few yards outside their own penalty area when Joao Pedro catches Nico Dominguez with a late challenge.
3.18pm BST
18 min: Out on the right flank, Cole Palmer cuts inside Luca Netz and tries to curl a shot into the top left-hand corner. He doesn’t get enough bend on his shot and sends the ball well wide of Matz Sels’s goal.
3.17pm BST
16 min: This has been an outstanding start for Forest and Vitor Pereira’s questionable selection policy is looking entirely justified. Chelsea are a mess early doors.
3.15pm BST
GOAL! Chelsea 0-2 Nottingham Forest (Jesus 15pen) Igor Jesus doubles Forest’s lead! The Brazilian makes no mistake from the spot and Forest are 2-0 up after 15 minutes.
Updated at 3.24pm BST
3.14pm BST
Penalty for Nottingham Forest! 14 min: It’s a penalty for Forest and a yellow card for Malo Gusto. Chelsea can have no complaints. That was a dumb foul to commit.
3.13pm BST
12 min: Awoniyi goes down in the Chelsea penalty area looking for a penalty. There was a definite shirt-pull by Malo Gusto as the goalscorerer tried to get on the end of another Bakwa delivery and VAR will take a look. Anthony Taylor is going to his pitchside monitor and you’d presume this will be a penalty.
Updated at 3.18pm BST
3.11pm BST
11 min: Enzo Fernades has another strike on goal, this time from open play but sends this effort against the foot of the upright. It’s been a livelty start.
3.10pm BST
10 min: Moarato doesn’t avoid a yellow card for hauling Joao Pedro to ground as the Brazilian advanced on the Forest penalty area. Free-kick for Chelsea in a good position. Awoniyi heads Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick away.
3.09pm BST
8 min: Marc Cucurella exacts a measure of revenge on Bakwa, clattering into the back of the Forest winger and sending him to ground with a roar of agony. The Chelsea full-back concedes a free-kick but avoids a yellow card.
3.07pm BST
7 min: Sporting the No55 on his back, Jesse Derry gets on the ball and lays it off to Enzo Fernandez. He tries to curl it into the path of a Cole Palmer run but overhits his pass and sends the ball wide.
3.06pm BST
5 min: Making his full Premier League debut, Forest right-back Luca Netz gets on the ball as Forest go in search of a second goal.
3.04pm BST
4 min: Awoniyi’s goal came on 98 seconds and has stunned Stamford Bridge into silence. Dilane Bakwa stictched Marc Cucurella up like a kipper before sending in his cross and Awoniyi had a free header which he placed in the top corner.
3.03pm BST
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Awoniyi 2) Forest lead! Taiwo Awoniyi puts Forest ahead, leaping unmarked at the far post to nod a Dilane Bakwa cross from the byline past Robert Sanchez.
Updated at 3.06pm BST
3.01pm BST
1 min: Forest win an early throw-in deep in Chelsea territory, the ball going out of play off Marc Cucurella. Zach Abbott takes responsibility, starting just his second senior game.
3.00pm BST
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest is go ... 1 min: Nottingham Forest get the ball rolling, playing it straight back to Matz Sels. He passes it back upfield.
2.58pm BST
Not long now: The teams are out on the Stamford Bridge pitch and going through the last of the pre-match formalities. Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.
2.51pm BST
Chelsea: Currently on a run of five Premier League defeats without scoring, the hosts will set an unwanted club record if they lose without finding the back of the net this afternoon.
2.48pm BST
Calum McFarlane: “It’s a great opportunity for Jesse,” says Chelsea’s interim head coach of his decision to hand young Master Derry his full debut. “He’s training with us a lot, he’s been in squads, he’s played in other games. We trust him, we know his talent because I’ve worked with him previously. The boys trust him, he’s trained really well so I’m really excited for Jesse.” McFarlane goes on to tell Sky Sports that both Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho are sidelined with knocks that aren’t serious.
2.40pm BST
Vitor Pereira: In a pre-match interview with Sky Sports, the Forest manager is asked about his team selection and the potential risks involved in resting so many first-team regulars. “They need to show, to prove in this moment that they are ready to help the team,” he says of the players he has picked. “I truly believe we can do a competitive game and we can fight for the points.”
Unai Emery adopted the same approach with the Aston Villa team he picked to face Tottenham Hotspur yesterday and if he believed his largely second-string side could be competitive he was quickly disabused of the notion as they stank Villa Park out with an embarrassing performance that seems to have prompted far more upset among West Ham’s fans than those of the Villa.
Updated at 2.52pm BST
2.30pm BST
Today’s match officials Referee : Anthony Taylor
Referee assistants : Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn
Fourth official : Michael Salisbury
VAR : James Bell
Assistant VAR : Dan Robathan
2.30pm BST
Chelsea: Having recently returned from a club-imposed two-match ban for telling reporters how much he’d like to live in Madrid, Enzo Fernandes only went and spent his three days off this week in the Spanish capital watching tennis with his teammates Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro.
“It says a lot about the group that they go away together,” said McFarlane. “I love that they spend time together. They went to Madrid to watch tennis, I don’t see an issue. It’s a positive sign for the unity of the group.”
On his own role as interim head coach of a team that has lost five consecutive Premier League matches without scoring a goal before his appointment, McFarlane hd this to say: “I’ve been involved at games at Stamford Bridge as assistant and support staff but there might be a different feel leading the team and it will be a great honour in front of the Chelsea fans. Really looking forward to it and hoping we can put in a similar level of performance as we did at Wembley.”
2.30pm BST
Nottingham Forest: “I will try to think just about the Chelsea game because it’s our Champions League,” said Vitor Pereira when asked about this match being sandwiched between both legs of a Europa League semi-final. “It’s very important for us and we will try to go there to compete with the players. I prefer a fit player without injury problems, than someone that goes inside the pitch with problems, because with problems, we cannot give 100% and in this moment we need to run and fight.”
2.26pm BST
Jesse Derry: Maybe it’s just his hairstyle but Jesse Derry reminds me of Jamie Tartt, star player of AFC Richmond in the comedy series Ted Lasso. Unlike Jamie, he seems unlikely to take a sabbatical from football so he can appear on a Reality TV Show. If he’s as good and unselfish a player as Tartt in his series three pomp, Chelsea fans are in for a treat.
Updated at 2.29pm BST
2.16pm BST
Pre-match listening: Myself, Barney Ronay and Jonathan Wilson were up with the lark to join Max Rushden and pick over the bones of the weekend action in the latest episode of our Football Weekly podcast. Warning: may contain middle-aged men bickering and one extremely laboured tea analogy.
Related: Arsenal’s statement win and Spurs climb out of the drop zone – Football Weekly
Updated at 2.17pm BST
2.12pm BST
Those teams: Vitor Pereira has channeled his inner Unai Emery and made eight changes to the side that beat Aston Villa on Thursday night. Morato, Nico Dominguez and Igor Jesus are the only survivors as a host of first team regulars drop to the bench for a rest.
It’s a risky strategy that may prove to have backfired come season’s end, but Pereira clearly feels his players have enough about them to pick up the points they need to avoid relegation in their remaining games, even if they lose today. And let’s face it, given they are playing Chelsea-in-freefall, there’s every chance Forest won’t lose today.
With Pedro Neto and Alejandro both absent from the home squad, Jesse Derry comes into the Chelsea side to make his full senior debut. The 18-year-old winger is the son of Shaun Derry, the former Notts County, Crystal Palace and QPR legend. As expected, Reece James and Levi Colwill are on the Chelsea bench.
Updated at 2.57pm BST
1.57pm BST
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest line-ups Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella, Caicedo, Lavia, Palmer, Derry, Fernandez, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Colwill, Fofana, James, Hato, Santos, Essugo, Delap.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Abbott, Morato, Jair Cunha, Netz, Yates, McAtee, Dominguez, Bakwa, Igor Jesus, Awoniyi.
Subs: Ortega, Williams, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Wood, Da Silva Moreira, Lucca, Hutchinson, Milenkovic.
1.55pm BST
Early team news Filip Jorgensen, Estavao Willian and Jamie Gittens remain sidelined but Chelsea could welcome Reece James and Levi Colwill back into their matchday squad. Colwill is back from an ACL he suffered in pre-season and has not played since the Club World Cup final. “When someone’s had an injury for that long, you have to be patient,” said Calum McFarlane. “We just need to manage his minutes, not push him too much. We don’t want to risk re‑injuring him, but he looks brilliant and he is in a really good place.”
Forest right-back Ola Aina limped out of Thursday night’s Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa but may return this afternoon. At his pre-match press conference, Vitor Pereira was unable to offer updates on the fitness of Dan Ndoye, Ibrahim Sangare, Jair Cunha and Murillo. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nicolo Savona, John Victor and Willy Boly are definitely out.
1.55pm BST
Premier League: Chelsea v Nottingham Forest Stamford Bridge hosts a high-stakes Bank Holiday clash between two sides suffering different end-of-season anxieties. Chelsea have an imminent FA Cup final to focus on but must win today to end a remarkable five-match Premier League losing streak to keep their already slim hopes of playing Champions League football next season alive.
Dragged back into a relegation battle they hoped they’d escaped, Nottingham Forest currently find themselves between two legs of a Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa. While the lights of Villa Park beckon for Thursday’s second leg, Forest cannot afford to take things easy this afternoon. Kick-off is at 3pm (BST) but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.