Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest: 5 Talking Points as Blues suffer home defeat | Premier League 2022-23

Chelsea failed to break through Nottingham Forest's resilient defence as they lost at home 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, September 2.

Chelsea went back to a much stronger lineup than the one that started midweek against AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup. The likes of Nicolas Jackson, Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandez returned to the starting lineup as they looked to make it three wins in a row.

Forest, on the other hand, welcomed captain Joe Worrall back from suspension. They had made multiple signings on transfer deadline day and Gonzalo Montiel and Nuno Tavares were made it to the bench from the new recruits.

Neither side managed to create any chances of real quality in the first half. It was the home side that dominated possession but they were unable to test Matt Turner in any way. The Blues needed better decision-making and needed to be more clinical as it ended 0-0 in the first half.

Early in the second half, Forest took the lead. An error at the back between Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher saw Taiwo Awoniyi with a golden chance. The Nigerian, who has been in splendid form, instead set up substitute Anthony Elanga who slotted it home to make it 1-0.

Chelsea pressed for an equaliser but found it difficult to break through the visitors' shape. Manager Mauricio Pochettino brought on attacking substitutions as new signing Cole Palmer came off the bench alongside Noni Madueke.

Late in the game, Jackson missed an absolute sitter after he was set up by Sterling's driving run.

The visitors held on and scored a great win over the Blues, who have a lot of work to do in the international break. Here are five talking points from the game.

#5. Chelsea's terrible run at home continues

The Blues have had some poor performances at Stamford Bridge, beginning last season. In the previous campaign, they had fewer wins at home than any other team except the newly promoted sides. This season, they have had the draw to Liverpool and a laboured win over League Two side AFC Wimbledon followed by this loss.

#4. Taiwo Awoniyi lost his goalscoring run but was still impressive

Coming into the game, Awoniyi had been on a sensational run of form. The Nigerian striker had bagged a goal in all of his last seven appearances, with nine goals in that period. Although his streak ended today, he put in a solid performance for around an hour. He battled hard with Thiago Silva in the first half and showed a cool head to set up Elanga for the only goal of the game.

#3. Chelsea's attack continues to lack bite

The home side's key issue last season was their glaring inability to score goals. They managed just 38 goals in the entire 2022-23 PL campaign and it was a key reason behind their 12th-place finish. Despite their massive spending this summer window and the previous windows, it seems they have been unable to rectify this issue. Their decision-making in the final third was questionable and they were unable to get balls of real quality into the box.

#2. A strong win for Forest

Nottingham Forest came into the game with one of the worst away records in their club's history. Steve Cooper's side won just one game away from home last season and hadn't won at Stamford Bridge in almost three decades.

However, they came into the game with a plan and effected it brilliantly. They maintained their defensive shape well and ensured they would go home with the clean sheet and all three points.

#1. Chelsea have to figure out a lot

Chelsea have been called out by many for their extravagant spending in the transfer market. Since Todd Boehly's arrival they have spent over £1 billion pounds. However, they squad seems to lack world-class quality, especially in front of goal. While there has been massive squad turnover this season, it is up to manager Mauricio Pochettino to fix these issues quickly.