Security guards had mobilised in front of the City Ground stands in anticipation of a pitch invasion to celebrate Premier League survival but when the final whistle came, Nottingham Forest fans stayed in their seats. They are almost there but still require one final game to secure their top-flight status. It made for a bizarre atmosphere at the end of a thrilling game.
It was party time earlier in the afternoon, when defeats for Burnley and Luton meant a point would ensure a 17th-place finish. Forest were on course for victory with 10 minutes remaining before Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson turned the match on its head. Defeat turned the survival fiesta a little flat.
Players were clapped off as they went down the tunnel, they are almost safe but they still need to avoid the football miracle of a 12-goal swing that would see them overtaken by Luton next weekend. A point or narrow defeat at Burnley on Sunday will see them home.
For most of the afternoon, fans were singing about staying up and taunting the Premier League or Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. They looked on course for mathematical survival when Willy Boly cancelled out Mykhailo Mudryk’s opener, and also when Callum Hudson-Odoi edged them in front. Nuno Espirito Santo suggested he was the only person who did not believe Forest were safe. He has seen too much in football to count his chickens, but only the biggest collapse in football history will see them relegated from this position.
“You never know in football. There’s one game left but hopefully we’re safe now and we can focus on Burnley next weekend,” said Hudson-Odoi. “Obviously we knew the results before but in our heads we are playing for ourselves. We tried to get a result for ourselves regardless. The boys fought but couldn’t get the result unfortunately.”
“When they try to keep us down, we show them who we are,” read a giant “tifo” at the Trent End before kick-off, with fans jeering the Premier League anthem.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis described this season as “stressful” earlier this week, which was something of an understatement given their four-point penalty for breaching profitability and sustainability rules. Refereeing decisions have done nothing to keep the blood pressure down either, and now there is just one match to go where anything but the totally extraordinary will do.
It has been quite the few days for Marinakis. After the glory of seeing his Olympiacos team reach a European final on Thursday, he sat in his owner’s seat at the City Ground already within touching distance of Premier League survival.
Unfortunately for Forest, they were playing against a Chelsea team who are still playing for European qualification and since Boxing Day have picked up 35 points – only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have more.
“If we are honest we were punished in our first 10 games,” said Chelsea manager Pochettino. “Our performance was good but we were not clinical and we wasted big chances. All the data said we were in a false position. After we beat Tottenham, in the last 24 games we are in the top four or five.”
Pochettino also insisted he was planning on being at Chelsea next season despite saying before this match that he could consider his future.
“I had an honest conversation in the press conference. To clarify, if the owner is happy with my job we can continue,” he said. “I am always a coach who is thinking long term. All departments must be happy for us to be a good team to compete. I still have one more year in my contract and I am thinking to be here.”
Chelsea’s opener came when Mudryk only had to run on to Cole Palmer’s reverse through ball and side-foot past Matz Sels.
Forest equalised shortly afterwards, taking advantage of woeful marking from a set-piece. Jackson was close to Boly when Morgan Gibbs-White prepared to take a free-kick, but stopped tracking him and allowed him to have a free run into the danger area, with his header flicking off Conor Gallagher and in off a post.
Boly’s was the 60th league goal they have conceded this season, which they had not done since 1991-92, when they finished 14th. Hudson-Odoi edged Forest in front when he collected Gibbs-White’s pass and cut inside before curling into the bottom corner. He provided the subplot to this game after leaving Chelsea for just £3 million earlier this season. “Chelsea reject, Chelsea reject,” was the ironic chant from the Forest fans.
But Chelsea turned the game on its head again with Sterling, on as a sub, curling into the far corner from the edge of the area. With the game in the balance, Reece James crossed for Jackson to head home. James was making his first appearance since December and Pochettino believes he can be fully fit for the Euros.
“He is an important player for us, it is important to see if he can be fit to have the chance to play at the Euros. I think he will be ready,” he said.