A thrilling 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest, who lost the opportunity to clinch their Premier League survival in style, saw Chelsea maintain their late charge towards European participation.
With two games remaining, Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, and Nicolas Jackson’s goals put Mauricio Pochettino’s team level with sixth-place Newcastle after three straight victories.
According to Pochettino, who stated that the club will decide his future “in one week,” the Blues may advance to the Europa League or Europa Conference League, depending on Manchester United’s final league standing and the outcome of the FA Cup.
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Willy Boly and Callum Hudson-Odoi goals put Forest ahead 2-1, and they appeared like they would cement their place in the top division with a victory, but they are still very much out of danger of dropping down a division.
With one game remaining, they are 12 goals ahead of Luton in 18th position and three points ahead of them; a turnaround would be necessary if they were to lose on the last day.
Forest will view survival as a defiant response to the Premier League, given their four-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial regulations and their displeasure at the refereeing decisions they feel have gone against them this season.
Nobody could be more delighted than Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis, who has had an amazing week after watching his other team, Olympiacos, defeat Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League semifinal and advance to their first-ever European final on Thursday night in Athens.
At the City Ground, there was a celebratory vibe after Burnley and Luton’s defeats earlier in the afternoon. The Premier League song was fiercely jeered by Forest fans, who, despite their apparent safety, were not going to let the events of a volatile season go unnoticed.
They also unfurled a banner that said, “When they try to hold us down, we show them who they are.” However, Chelsea was prepared to spoil the fun and took the lead in the eighth minute. With a deft pass, Cole Palmer found Mudryk, who ducked by his defender and reached the bottom corner.
Forest responded well, levelling the score eight minutes later when Boly used a deflection to get free of his marker at the far post and head a free kick into the bottom corner.
In the first fifteen minutes of the second half, Forest twice struck the woodwork as they attempted to pursue the three points that would guarantee their safety.
