Victory over Luton Town and a Carabao Cup win over AFC Wimbledon has lifted the mood at Stamford Bridge, and there could have been more reason for celebration had former Blue Ola Aina not got across magnificently to deny Raheem Sterling a simple finish from Ben Chilwell’s low ball.
While the Blues couldn’t keep up their blistering pace from the opening exchanges, they did still have moments of promise with Conor Gallagher sending an ambitious effort marginally off target.
At the other end, Taiwo Awoniyi troubled Chelsea’s backline, and more specifically Thiago Silva, but couldn’t provide the finishing touch.
The striker uncharacteristically blazed his shot harmlessly over the crossbar with Joe Worrall getting in the way after the Blues had failed to convincingly clear Morgan Gibbs-White’s free-kick, before he held off the Brazilian and sent an acrobatic effort wide.
The game descended into a scrappy affair towards the end of the first half, although there were still opportunities with Worrall blocking attempts from Nicolas Jackson and Sterling.
Forest suffered a blow when Danilo was forced off moments before the break but his replacement, Anthony Elanga, soon improved the mood in the away end.
He punished the mix-up between Gallagher and Moises Caicedo by racing onto Awoniyi’s through ball before applying a cool finish for his first club goal since February 2022.
Chelsea immediately pushed for an equaliser, but Willy Boly made a brilliant block to deny Jackson.
Even with Mauricio Pochettino bringing a whole host of attacking talent off the bench and the Blues applying constant waves of pressure, Forest valiantly stood firm and benefited from a shocking Jackson miss to secure a memorable away victory, having won on the road just once in the league last term.
Chelsea, meanwhile, suffered their first home defeat and failed to score in a match for the first time this term.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Willy Boly (Nottingham Forest)