Awoniyi Rescue A Point For Forest Against Chelsea
In-form Taiwo Awoniyi says Nottingham Forest have “two cup finals” left to secure their Premier League status after his two goals earned a valuable point against Chelsea.
Awoniyi, who scored twice in Monday’s 4-3 win against Southampton, got in front of recalled Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to head in Renan Lodi’s first-half cross.
Raheem Sterling equalised after the break by sweeping home Trevoh Chalobah’s cutback then seven minutes later the England forward turned inside Felipe and curled the ball beyond Keylor Navas.
But Frank Lampard’s side led for just four minutes as Nigeria striker Awoniyi flicked home Orel Mangala’s delicate lob to secure an impressive draw at Stamford Bridge.
It ended a run of seven successive league away defeats for Steve Cooper’s men and leaves them three points above third-bottom Leeds United with two games remaining.
Forest have taken seven points from their last four games and are within touching distance of securing successive seasons in the top flight.
But Awoniyi, the first Forest player to score two goals in consecutive Premier League games since Bryan Roy in 1995, maintains there is still work to be done.
“We came here with spirit and togetherness and had a plan that worked. When they score two quick goals you feel bad, but we believed in ourselves and got the point,” said the 25-year-old.
“We now have two finals to go, the next one is Arsenal and from there we will see what happens.”
Forest, who had taken just six away points from a possible 51 this season before the Chelsea game, face the title-chasing Gunners at home next Saturday before travelling to Crystal Palace on the final day.
The draw leaves Chelsea, now winless in seven home games in all competitions, in 11th and with the prospect of playing three of the top four within a week – Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United – to end their miserable season.
Chelsea’s season has had little riding on it for more than a month now, since the awful run of results during the end of Graham Potter’s reign and the beginning of Lampard’s caretaker tenure.
A mid-table position for a squad that has had multi-million pound investment in the past two transfer windows is massive under-achievement by any measure.
The draw against Forest was symptomatic of a chaotic season characterised by disjointed performances from a collection of highly priced players yet to be moulded into a winning blend.
But while few of the £550m worth of signings made under the Todd Boehly regime have been an unqualified success, the Blues have unquestionably acquired a squad of serious talent with significant potential.
In a first season to forget under new ownership, the Blues have given starts to 31 players in the top flight, the most of any club, and have made a league-high 128 changes to their starting line-up.
Further recruits might therefore seem like unwise excess, but despite their outlay, the squad still has patent weaknesses.
A true defensive midfielder to partner Argentina conductor Enzo Fernandez would give much-needed balance while a goalkeeper who imbues the defence with confidence rather than uncertainty would increase stability at the back that was missing whenever Forest crossed the ball.
The need for a goalscorer – Chelsea have scored only 36 times in the league this season – to add incisiveness was again demonstrated against Forest, as Lampard pointedly noted.
“We were too slow in the first half at the top end. Too sideways and safe. That’s intrinsic in us – a lot of passes but not passes to break lines and threaten,” he said.
“We need players who are willing and hungry to get in the box. Tactics are irrelevant if you don’t do it with pace. The difference with forward passes and forward runs was there to see.
“It doesn’t count for much if you are not clinical. Raheem was clinical, some players are developing that a bit.”
The return of Romelu Lukaku from his loan at Inter Milan may save Chelsea’s new manager another newcomer to integrate.
The identity of that new boss has yet to be confirmed, although former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been heavily linked with the position.
What is clear is that the appointment must have the charisma and nous to manage such a large number of superstar players and strike the right alchemy between them.
