Chelsea take on Nottingham Forest today as the Blues look to continue their impressive start to the season under Enzo Maresca in the Premier League.
Cole Palmer’s four-goal haul inspired a dominant victory over Brighton last time out, and they return to the scene of that performance at Stamford Bridge knowing that another win would keep them fourth in the table and in close contact with Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal above them.
But they face a side in Forest who have started the season well too, despite last week’s stumble at Fulham. Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have the second-best defensive record in the league with only five conceded so far, and already have a big scalp on in their results after beating Liverpool. Another victory here would propel Forest into the top six.
Follow the score and all the live action from the Premier League game between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest below.
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
Chelsea host Forest at Stamford Bridge in 2pm kick-off | Match not on UK TV
Fourth-placed Blues chase leading trio, while Forest can climb into top six
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo (C); Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Forest: Sels; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Moreno; Yates (C), Anderson, Ward-Prowse, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Wood, 49)
GOAL!Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Madueke, 57)
Chelsea FC 1 – 1 Nottingham Forest FC
GOAL!Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Madueke, 57)
15:15 , Lawrence Ostlere
Palmer collects the ball in a central spot outside the box and feeds Noni Madueke on the right side. The winger shifts it on to his left foot and fires away a shot which drills into the bottom corner, and Chelsea are level!
Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest
15:11 , Lawrence Ostlere
52 min: Such an intelligent finish, that, from Wood. He was sprinting into the box when the ball came his way and it needed the deftest touch past the on-rushing Sanchez and inside the post. He found exactly the weight that was needed.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Wood, 49)
15:08 , Lawrence Ostlere
A Forest free-kick is floated into the box and Melinkovic leaps highest, heading down into the six-yard box where Chris Wood reacts quicker than the Chelsea defenders to tap home from close range! Well then.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
15:06 , Lawrence Ostlere
47 min: Moreno launches a long throw into the Chelsea box, and Gibbs-White’s header floats harmlessly to Sels.
No changes from either side at the break.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
15:04 , Lawrence Ostlere
46 min: Back under way.
Half-time: Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:57 , Lawrence Ostlere
Chelsea were the better side for much of the half but Forest had their moments too in a lively contest.
Noni Madueke was involved in almost everything Chelsea did well, driving down the right wing and into the box, but his final pass or shot was consistently wayward. Enzo Maresca has a lot of options in the bench – namely Neto, Nkunku and Mudryk – should he need to change the game.
Forest’s mission is clear: defend the box, and stop Palmer. They’ve done both pretty well so far.
Half-time: Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:49 , Lawrence Ostlere
There’s the half-time whistle and it’s all square at the break.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:48 , Lawrence Ostlere
45 min: Big moments at both ends! Colwill makes a brilliant block to deny Yates from firing a shot on target in the box, while at the other end Palmer and his Chelsea teammates think he’s scored, but replays show Sels just stopped his trickling shot on the line.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:44 , Lawrence Ostlere
42 min: A chance! Enzo Fernandez gets a shot away inside the box, from the left side, but it lacks power and it’s saved by Sels. A first effort on target by Chelsea.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:41 , Lawrence Ostlere
40 min: Forest counter and Murillo fires a powerful effort at goal, which is well saved by Sanchez.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:39 , Lawrence Ostlere
37 min: James Ward-Prowse is booked for a foul on Cole Palmer. That’s one card per midfield, after Caicedo’s yellow earlier.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:38 , Lawrence Ostlere
35 min: Palmer is tripped in the box, which looked like a penalty, but the assistant’s flag goes up for offside to save Forest.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:32 , Lawrence Ostlere
31 min: Malo Gusto tries a long range effort which flies off target. Probably the wrong choice by the right-back there, and that is a sign of some frustration creeping in.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:31 , Lawrence Ostlere
29 min: Chelsea have had two thirds of the possession so far, but Forest have looked dangerous when they’ve got hold of it, particularly through Gibbs-White in those little pockets behind Chelsea’s midfield.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:30 , Lawrence Ostlere
26 min: Much of the pre-match talk was around Cole Palmer after his four-goal haul last weekend, but he has been kept very quiet so far. Perhaps this is why Noni Madueke is enjoying some space – but his three shots so far have not produced a save.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:25 , Lawrence Ostlere
23 min: Better from Madueke this time, who beats a couple of Forest players before for lashing a shot just over.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:22 , Lawrence Ostlere
20 min: Caicedo brings down Gibbs-White clumsily and there’s the first booking of the game.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:19 , Lawrence Ostlere
17 min: Morgan Gibbs-White makes a dangerous surge through the centre of the pitch and tries to feed Wood, but the big striker can’t take the ball in his stride and the moment is gone.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:16 , Lawrence Ostlere
15 min: Chris Wood is penalised for clattering into Levi Colwill in the air. Colwill comes away with a grimace, clutching his shoulder, but he’s OK to continue.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:15 , Lawrence Ostlere
13 min: Noni Madueke makes a poor choice, dribbling into the box on the right side before taking on a shot from an almost impossible angle which flies over the bar.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:14 , Lawrence Ostlere
10 min: Chelsea have been the more dominant side so far but Forest have sounded a little warning with a cross aimed at the far post for Wood, which is just about dealt with.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:10 , Lawrence Ostlere
7 min: Good, aggressive defending by Wesley Fofana, who wrestles the ball off Forest striker Chris Wood, one of the strongest forward players in the league, and clears away any danger.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:08 , Lawrence Ostlere
5 min: The crowd crackles as Cole Palmer receives the ball for the first time, a long way out from goal. There is just a buzz about him right now.
Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:07 , Lawrence Ostlere
2 min: Chelsea have started brightly as Jadon Sancho tries to feed Nicolas Jackson with a pass in behind the deep Forest defence. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side appear to have come to defend the box for their lives.
Kick-off! Chelsea 0-0 Nottingham Forest
14:02 , Lawrence Ostlere
And we’re off!
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest – Premier League live
14:01 , Lawrence Ostlere
Here we go then, the players are out on the pitch on a mild October’s day in west London. Can Chelsea keep pace with the Premier League’s leading three?
Nuno Espirito Santo: ‘Gibbs-White can produce something special’
13:55 , Lawrence Ostlere
“The big issue in football, finding the balance between work in both boxes. We are producing a lot of situations and we should be more clinical. I believe we will improve. We need to stick with our plan and stay compact.
“Very important to have [Morgan Gibbs-White] back, he is a special player for us. The team relies on him to produce things. I’m happy for him to be called up by England again.”
James Ward-Prowse: ‘I’ve had some joy here so hopefully I can keep that up’
13:46 , Lawrence Ostlere
“Every game in the Premier League is tough. We’re well aware of their qualities and the form that they’re in but we’ve been good on the road so far and hopefully we can keep that up today.
“It’s always been a good place to play. It’s a famous stadium and a big club to play against. I’ve had some joy here before so hopefully I can keep that up in a Forest shirt.
“When you come to a big team like this, you know you’re going to need to have things go your way. It’s about using our strengths and limiting theirs.”
Cole Palmer: ‘Forest are a different challenge’
13:35 , Lawrence Ostlere
“Forest are a completely different team [compared to Brighton],” Palmer tells PLTV. “These like to sit back so we will have to try and break them down. They’re a good team, they’ve only lost one game so it will be hard. They’ve got quality up front and they’re well organised.
“I’ve watched the goals this week a few times, but it’s at the back of my mind now. It’s all about Forest. We’ve got confidence and we just have to try to keep winning.”
Maresca: Chelsea can flourish now transfer noise has quietened down
13:26 , Lawrence Ostlere
The manager said the team’s identity was clear after winning five consecutive games in all competitions with different starting lineups.
“For the first two months, there was a lot of noise around the club. Hopefully, we can continue with the way we are now,” Maresca said.
“I was not here last year. The only thing I can say is since we started, I like to be focused and in control. The only part I can control is the football side.
“All the noises around the club are something I cannot control, I don’t care about it. I’m already thinking about how we can prepare for the game.”
Chelsea not ready to compete for title, says Maresca
13:15 , Lawrence Ostlere
Chelsea are improving but the London side are not yet ready to compete with top Premier League clubs like Manchester City and Arsenal, manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday.
Chelsea, who finished sixth last season to miss out on the Champions League and 12th in 2022-23, are fourth in the table with 13 points from six games.
Maresca replaced Mauricio Pochettino in June and was tasked with returning Chelsea to the Champions League which they last won in 2021.
“I don’t think we can compete with City and Arsenal. City have worked with the same manager for (nearly) nine years, Arsenal for five years,” Maresca said ahead of Sunday’s game against Nottingham Forest.
“If you want to compete, you need that time. It’s a huge difference. I am convinced we cannot compete. The target is to improve and to get close slowly. We are not at this moment ready for that.
“You can continue to improve but at the end, the more time you are together, the better it is.”
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest – Premier League live
13:06 , Lawrence Ostlere
Fans are descending on Stamford Bridge, less than an hour before kick-off:
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest – team news
12:59 , Lawrence Ostlere
As expected, Maresca keeps the same XI who thrashed Brighton at Stamford Bridge last weekend, with Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku all on the bench.
Morgan Gibbs-White returns for Forest after a one-match suspension.
Nottingham Forest line-up
12:52 , Lawrence Ostlere
Sels; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Moreno; Yates (C), Anderson, Ward-Prowse, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Subs: Miguel, Morato, Williams, Awoniyi, Dominguez, Jota, Elanga, Sosa, Boly.
Chelsea line-up
12:48 , Lawrence Ostlere
Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo (C); Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson.
Subs: Jorgensen, Disasi, Tosin, Veiga, Lavia, Neto, Mudryk, Felix, Nkunku.
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
12:43 , Lawrence Ostlere
Confirmed line-ups and full team news in a couple of minutes…
Why is the game not being shown live in the UK?
12:36 , Lawrence Ostlere
This Premier League match will not be shown on TV in the UK as it hasn’t been selected to broadcast despite being played at 2pm on a Sunday. The fixture was originally scheduled as a 3pm kick-off on Saturday and, even though the date has changed, it still can’t be shown live.
Highlights can be found on Sky Sports’ social media pages following the game and The Independent will have a live blog covering the live action.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest – team news
12:25 , Lawrence Ostlere
Enzo Maresca will likely revert to his first choice starting XI hvaing made a whole heap of changes for the Blues’ Europa Conference League fixture last Thursday. Wesley Fofana and Cole Palmer are expected to return with Robert Sanchez restored in goal.
Reece James and youngster Omari Kellyman are the only two players unavailable so there are no new injury concerns and after resting the main players in midweek Chelsea should have a fresh set of legs for Sunday.
For Nottingham Forest, Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare are still long-term absentees and won’t be available. Morgan Gibbs-White will return to the squad despite fears that he may have to miss two games due to his red card against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Willy Boly was an unused sub after recovering from a calf problem and could come into the starting XI.
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest – Premier League live
12:16 , Lawrence Ostlere
Chelsea face Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge this afternoon is a Premier League clash that could see Enzo Maresca’s side shoot up the table.
The Blues started the weekend fourth in the table after five consecutive wins across all competitions. They have beaten Bournemouth, West Ham and Brighton in their last three league games scoring eight goals and looking like a team confident in the final third.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have stumbled slightly since an impressive win over Liverpool at Anfield. They were held to a 2-2 draw with Brighton before Raul Jimenez gave Fulham a 1-0 win over them with a second half penalty last time out.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has made his team difficult to score against with Forest particularly effective away from home this year menaing they could cause a few problems for Chelsea.
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest – Premier League live
12:15 , Lawrence Ostlere
Follow all the action from the Premier League match between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest right here.
