Awoniyi shines as Nottingham Forest stun Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi was the catalyst as Nottingham Forest defeated Chelsea 1-0 to claim their first win at Stamford Bridge in 29 years.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea went into the game on the back of a two-game winning streak in the league and Cup, and sought to make it back-to-back home league wins for the first time in a year.

The Blues started the game on the front foot, as expected, but looked sterile in attack as they struggled to create any meaningful opportunities. Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, were heavily reliant on Awoniyi to carry them upfield. The striker proved to be a tough opponent for Chelsea’s defenders as he chased a record eighth successive match scored in.

Awoniyi had a number of decent half-chances but didn’t show the requisite composure in front of goal, and nothing materialised. Neither side managed to open the scoring in the opening 45 minutes as they cancelled each other out.

Four minutes into the second half, the visitors stunned Stamford Bridge into silence as they broke the deadlock. A giveaway in midfield from £115m man Moises Caicedo was seized upon by Forest, and Awoniyi played a delightful ball into space for Anthony Elanga to latch onto and finish one-on-one.

Chelsea were increasingly frustrated following the goal as Forest sat deeper, and they were unable to break down their compact shape. Their best chance came in the 90th minute when Raheem Sterling played a square ball to Nicolas Jackson, but the striker skied his effort with the goal at his mercy.

The visitors held on to inflict Chelsea’s second defeat in four matches this season, putting the young side in 11th place on the log.