Chelsea safe top-five spot to finish Nottingham Forest’s Champions League dream

Before kick-off, a large banner dangled from the higher tier of the Trent End, an outsized mock brown vacationer signal. “Destination: Europe,” it learn. Below that, a flag of a camper van with Nottingham Forest scarves flickering out of the home windows.

At the tip of a powerful season for Forest, the one sadness was once that every one roads from right here result in the Conference League and now not the Champions League, by which Chelsea will play subsequent season after two years away. First, on the other hand, for Enzo Maresca and his avid gamers is a travel to Wroclaw, to navigate a last towards Real Betis within the pageant Forest will grace for the primary time subsequent season.

This was once a beneficial victory for Chelsea. Forest, in the meantime, might by no means know the worth of victory. Results in different places have been relayed over the audio system because the avid gamers headed for the tunnel at half-time, regardless that Maresca mentioned the primary he knew of the goings-on at Old Trafford and past have been when his assistant, Willy Caballero, knowledgeable him that Manchester United had doubled their lead towards Aston Villa with only some mins left to run.

The galling factor for Forest was once victory would have enabled them to qualify for the Champions League at Newcastle’s expense. Nuno Espírito Santo was once left questioning what may had been. “It is tough to take,” the Forest supervisor mentioned.

“We knew the last game was going to be very difficult for the last teams involved in this fight and we came up short. We knew one goal could change everything and this is what it does to you. You think: ‘What if?’”

For Forest, it was once not possible to keep away from the common sense of anticlimax, in spite of returning to Europe for the primary time since attaining the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup beneath Frank Clark in 1995-96.

In the tip, the largest spice up of the day most certainly arrived 15 mins earlier than kick-off, when Taiwo Awoniyi emerged from the tunnel. The striker, who required pressing stomach surgical operation and was once positioned in an triggered coma after colliding with a publish right here towards Leicester a fortnight in the past, was once given a hero’s welcome, tapping his chest and applauding all 4 aspects of this stadium after walking directly to the pitch.

Any sense of sadness didn’t linger lengthy within the stands. There was once a racket because the avid gamers returned to the pitch for a lap of appreciation, Matz Sels receiving an enormous cheer after sharing the golden glove award with Arsenal’s David Raya, the pair each retaining 13 blank sheets. Then Nikola Milenkovic picked up the membership’s participant of the season prize as Rockin’ All Over the World blared over the audio system. “I would give it to all of them,” a proud Nuno mentioned. “It is not player of the season, it is team of the season, squad of the season. Now we have to rest – and deservedly so.”

This was once a sport of few openings but if the ball landed on the ft of Levi Colwill, after Pedro Neto was once performed in on objective, the Chelsea defender made no mistake, facet‑footing in the one objective of the sport to substantiate Maresca’s facet will go back to Uefa’s elite pageant.

Colwill does now not ranking many objectives – this simply his 2nd of the season, his different coming in March towards his native land membership Southampton – however this strike was once as precious as they arrive. Marc Cucurella recycled Cole Palmer’s move, headed away by way of Murillo, and Neco Williams inadvertently nodded the ball into Neto’s trail. Neto may now not direct his effort goalwards however Colwill was once loose on the again publish to transform from shut vary. Conscious of the gravity of items, a cussing Nuno shook his head at the sidelines.

Forest’s first actual likelihood got here a few mins earlier than the period, Chris Wood volleying over from the previous Chelsea defender Ola Aina’s move. Robert Sánchez requested questions of his defence however, if truth be told, Forest didn’t quiz Chelsea to any extent further till the 8 mins of stoppage time.

Forest attempted to drive the problem, throwing numbers ahead, Colwill making an unforced error to present away a nook. The hosts created a last opening within the 94th minute when Sels, from within the Chelsea half of, regarded for Wood. The Forest striker cushioned the ball beautifully on his thigh however, beneath drive from Tosin Adarabioyo, he may now not stay his shot down and spooned over.

“[Manchester] City lost here, Arsenal drew here, Liverpool drew here … and Chelsea won,” a smiling Maresca mentioned. Then got here the actual mic-drop second, a phrase for the doubters. “So in English, how do you say? Eff-off to all of them.”