Halftime reset and set-piece ruthlessness: Chelsea sweep aside Forest 3-0

Chelsea transformed a ragged first half into a commanding 3-0 win at the City Ground, striking twice within six minutes of the restart through Josh Acheampong and Pedro Neto before Reece James capped the victory. Malo Gusto’s late red card arrived with the game already settled.

This was a victory shaped by decisive management and dead-ball precision. From a seat in the stands while serving a touchline ban, Enzo Maresca made a triple substitution at the interval—bringing on Moises Caicedo among others—and the balance of the contest shifted immediately.

From disjointed to decisive: the interval reset

The opening act belonged to Forest, and Chelsea’s makeshift midfield looked threadbare without the injured Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez. Romeo Lavia miscontrolled a square pass that teed up a Morgan Gibbs-White sighter, emblematic of a first half that never quite clicked for the visitors.

Maresca acted decisively. Caicedo came on alongside youth options Marc Guiu and Jamie Gittens as part of a triple change, with Andrey Santos among those withdrawn. Structure and bite returned, Chelsea won second balls, and the attack suddenly had lanes to run into.

Neto’s spark and Acheampong’s finish light the fuse

Barely three minutes after the interval, Neto burned down the left and delivered. With Murillo attracted to Guiu, an unmarked Acheampong nodded past Matz Sels—a goal born from a set-piece phase and Forest’s loose marking.

Moments later Neto doubled the advantage with a free-kick from the edge of the D, bending beyond the wall and an unsighted Sels. In six whirlwind minutes Chelsea had the cushion their first-half display did not promise.

James seals it; discipline still bites

Forest’s threat did not vanish—Neco Williams volleyed over with the goal gaping, and Igor Jesus clipped bar and post in one effort—but Chelsea remained clinical. James drove in a third after a corner sequence and an incomplete clearance to put the outcome beyond doubt.

A late second booking for Gusto and a time-wasting caution for Robert Sanchez were the only blots. It was Chelsea’s third Premier League red card of the season and their fourth dismissal in six matches across competitions, an ongoing concern Maresca must address even on a day of authority.

Youthful edge, mature result amid home turmoil

This was the Premier League’s youngest starting XI of the season, yet the second-half control carried the poise of a seasoned side. The recalibration around Caicedo, with Santos among those replaced, steadied the base and freed Neto to do damage higher up the pitch.

As Chelsea closed out a clean sheet and three points, the afternoon unravelled for Forest. Owner Evangelos Marinakis left the directors’ box with the score at 2-0, and the hosts dismissed Ange Postecoglou within minutes of full time after an eighth game without a win. Chelsea departed with a template for the road: patience, precision, and a ruthless burst after the break.