Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea final score: Premier League result, stats, highlights as Colwill seals Champions League spot

Chelsea battled to the 1-0 win they needed at Nottingham Forest to secure UEFA Champions League football at their hosts' expense.

Levi Colwill's close-range effort early in the second half settled a tense affair and ensured Enzo Maresca's Conference League finalists finished fourth in the standings.

A finely poised final day failed to ignite in the Premier League with Newcastle United and Aston Villa losing their games to Everton and Manchester United respectively. 

As such, if Forest had won, they would have completed a remarkable turnaround from relegation candidates to a Champions League outfit in the space of 12 months.

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Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea score

Venue: The City Ground, West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
Referee: Anthony Taylor

Keep track of every game and every goal via SN's live Premier League scoreboard

Lineups:

Nottingham Forest (4-3-2-1, right to left): 26. Mats Sels (GK) — 34. Ola Aina (20. Jota Silva), 31. Nikola Milenkovic, 5. Murillo, 7. Neco Williams — 16. Nicolas Dominguez (22. Ryan Yates), 6. Ibrahim Sangare (14. Callum Hudson-Odoi), 8. Elliot Anderson — 10. Morgan Gibbs-White, 21. Anthony Elanga — 11. Chris Wood

Chelsea (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Robert Sanchez (GK) — 24. Reece James, 4. Tosin Adarabioyo, 6. Levi Colwill, 3. Marc Cucurella — 8. Enzo Fernandez, 25. Moises Caicedo — 19. Jadon Sancho (45. Romeo Lavia), 20. Cole Palmer, 11. Noni Madueke (22. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall) — 7. Pedro Neto

MORE: Latest team news and injury picture for Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea

They seldom threatened a Chelsea team that succeeded in their aim of taking the pace out of the game, denying Nuno Espirito Santo the lightning counter-attacks they crave.

Chris Wood should have scored his 21st goal of the season but volleyed over from Ola Aina's cross shortly before halftime. 

Pedro Neto passed up a similarly glorious chance, with Cole Palmer the provider, in an otherwise uneventful first half.

The decisive moment came early in the second as Forest failed to fully clear a Chelsea corner. Neco Williams was unable to get rid of Enzo Fernandez's ball back into the box and Colwill was on hand to prod home his third Chelsea goal when Neto left him with a tap-in. He will probably never score a simpler or more valuable one.

Forest qualify for the Conference League, which Chelsea will try to win against Real Betis next week. They could have edged ahead of Villa into a Europa League spot but Wood blasted over from close range in stoppage time. Still, their disappointment should not linger too long at the end of a season that has surpassed all expectations.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea stats

Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

The dream is over for Nottingham Forest but, let's be honest, they'd never have won the Champions League. They might win the Conference League. As Chelsea might next week, but the top competition is where a team of their ambitions and budget should be. Levi Colwill, one of the youth products plenty of fans feel this club should have used more, getting the decisive goal was a nice moment. Enzo Maresca has hardly inspired widespread adoration this term and he was grottily pragmatic as this one wore on. But top-four and a possible trophy mean he will probably remain in his job for more than a season, which is no mean feat at Stamford Bridge. Thanks for joining us.

90+8 mins: More caper inside the Chelsea box as Anderson drives across goal and Dewsbury-Hall is there to hammer clear. That should do it.

90+4 mins: OH NO, CHRIS WOOD! The ball is pumped into the Chelsea box, Wood gets to it first but clatters over under pressure.

90 mins: EIGHT minutes of stoppage time. What have you got, Forest?

89 mins: Lavia ploughs a shot into the Chelsea fans behind the goal. We might need a spare.

88 mins: Forest corner. Big old scramble in there and Milenkovic wins the initial header but Chelsea survive.

86 mins: Maresca's assault on fun continues as Dewsbury-Hall replaces Madueke. He and the Chelsea fans will not care a jot. They're almost there. Indeed, with Manchester United 2-0 up against Aston Villa, they probably are.

80 mins: Cucurella flies in on Aina and there's some afters. A couple of yellow cards, one of which is for the Forest full-back.

78 mins: Gusto on for Neto, which means Chelsea are switching to a back five an slogging this out to the conclusion.

75 mins: Elanga lines up a free-kick. It's on target but that's about all it has going for it as Sanchez catches it on the bounce.

69 mins: Yates' first involvement, finds Aina. The cross isn't great though. Sanchez gathers and will take his time.

68 mins: Dominguez can't go on, so here comes long-serving crowd hero Ryan Yates.

65 mins: As Dominguez gets treatment, there's some news that's gone down well at the City Ground. Everton are winning at Newcastle. That pops them down to sixth, as things stand. Villa are fifth for now, but holding on at 0-0 with 10 men against Manchester United. You can follow our final-day blog HERE.

64 mins: Palmer was just down injured looking unhappy with his leg, now Dominguez and Madueke crash into one another and are each in a bit of pain.

63 mins: Lavia is on for Sancho, who I'd forgotten was playing.

62 mins: Adarabioyo gets himself in a bit of a mess under pressure from Gibbs-White to concede a corner. The delivery is deep, headed back towards the goalmouth. Chelsea's defence deal with it but might have liked Sanchez to involve himself.

57 mins: Wood grimaces as he sees the offside flag, having almost volleyed one into the River Trent.

56 mins: Caicedo trips Elanga fairly needlessly to get booked. Hudson-Odoi coming on for Sangare to take on his former club for fans of delicious narrative.

54 mins: Forest look all at sea facing another Chelsea short corner until Sangare boots a clearance at the referee. If Chelsea hadn't just scored everyone would have found that a lot funnier.

52 mins: Elanga scampers towards the box from the left but Colwill's there to clear.

50 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!! Levi Colwill!!!!!

Huge moment for Chelsea in the Champions League race! Corner taken short and Palmer's teasing delivery is cleared but the ball comes back, Williams can't clear and Neto prods across goal for the England defender to finish.

48 mins: Chelsea have been camped in the Forest half since the resumption. 

Kickoff: 2nd Half

Off we go again. Who fancies. Forest need to score. If they do, as things stand, they're heading to the Champions League.

Halftime

We only got one minute more of that. Not sure there was any need for any more. A poor game with two excellent chances that Neto and then Wood could not take. As it stands, Chelsea are heading into the Champions League and Forest heading to the Conference League.

45 mins: Gibbs-White doesn't make the most of another inviting position as he fails to play in Elanga.

43 mins: Forest should be in front! Lovely, teasing cross from Aina that Wood meets at the near post on the volley. Sanchez makes a nuisance of himself but the key factor is the ball striking Wood on the shin. If he meets that with his boot it's goal.

40 mins: The good news for these two is Newcastle and Aston Villa are also not doing anything especially useful with their afternoons and are locked at 0-0 with Everton and Manchester United respectively. Manchester City are 1-0 at Fulham and sitting comfortably in third as it stands.

37 mins: Forest work one of those transitions they like on on halfway and Adarabioyo makes a vital interception.

35 mins: Murillo barrels into the Chelsea half, which seems to startle the opposition briefly. His pass to Wood isn't what it needs to be.

30 mins: Ohhhh, there's a chance! Palmer pulls out to the right and puts in a fine cross that Neto blooters over the bar from close range.

28 mins: Fernandez wins a free-kick for Chelsea on the right-hand edge of the area. In keeping with a game where we've had one shot inside the first half an hour, very little comes of it.

24 mins: Wood discomforting Chelsea now as Sanchez stays in his goal. Colwill clears from inside his six-yard box. Corner to the hosts.

21 mins: Neto bundles pass Williams. No foul. The Forest full-back isn't happy but that looked like good, old-fashioned shoulder to shoulder. It matters not as Neto fluffs his lines inside the box.

15 mins: Dominguez at the other end now with a backpost header but it's easy work for Sanchez.

14 mins: Madueke cutting inside trying to find space to shoot but loses his footing as he does and Dominguez makes the block.

10 mins: Neto looks for Sancho as Chelsea break but Murillo deals with the danger.

9 mins: Dominguez plays the underlapping Aina into the Chelsea box. His low cross towards Wood is hacked behind by Colwill. This corner is better but Cucurella clears.

8 mins: Fernandez looks to craft a Chelsea attack and bangs a pass over Sancho's head and out for a throw-in. Some nerves on both sides, it seems.

5 mins: Forest cavalry up for their first corner of the afternoon. Elanga's delivery is rancid and volleyed away at the near post.

4 mins: Sangare breaks up play and threads a pass through the Chelsea defence far too easily. Gibbs-White is unusually hesitant, though, and by the time he finds Elanga, the visitors are back to avert the danger.

2 mins: Palmer wins an early corner for Chelsea. It's taken short to the England star but his cross, intended for Adarabioyo, is cleared.

Kickoff: 1st Half

Anderson gets us underway.

4 mins before kickoff: Here they come. It's absolutely raucous at the City Ground. The opening exchanges of this feel huge. An early goal against and it will be a massive question of Chelsea's collective character. They were behind within two minutes on their previous away game at St James' Park.

15 mins before kickoff: The teams will be with us shortly, so let's recap Forest's situation because it's not as straightforward as Chelsea's win = UCL equation. A victory would guarantee Nuno's men at least sixth position at the Blues' expense. To reach the Champions League places, they must win and hope either of Newcastle or Aston Villa don't. Newcastle host Everton and Aston Villa are at Manchester United. Theoretically, Forest can finish above Manchester City if Pep Guardiola's men lose at Fulham, but that would also require a 14-goal swing on goal difference, so let's put that one aside.

45 mins before kickoff: Viewers watching this game in the UK will notice Sky Sports aren't at the City Ground for their coverage. This was originally the plan, until Forest refused to accredit Gary Neville to cover the game. It's all been a bit unseemly to say the least. Neville is an outspoken pundit who can rub people up the wrong way, but his "crime" in this instance was to say that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis coming onto the pitch after the recent 2-2 draw against Leicester and confronting Nuno was not really the done thing. This shouldn't be controversial and the conspiratorial babbling from Forest afterwards has been unbecoming of a fine football club and does no one any favours. 

Getty Images

1 hr 5 mins before kickoff: And here's the Forest side. It's the same team that beat West Ham, meaning Sangare remains to give a little more heft to the midfield. A knock-on from that is ex-Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi has to be content with a place on the bench.

Your final Forest XI of 2024/25. 👊 pic.twitter.com/1mk9xCUh0J

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 25, 2025

1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: Let's have a look at the teams, starting with the visitors. Jaden Sancho starts, in what could well be his Chelsea farewell.

Your final day team news. C'mon you Blues! ✊🔵#CFC | #NFOCHE pic.twitter.com/zCCDxd5Gtf

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 25, 2025

1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: Forest have had an unbelievable campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo, but there has been a sense of them running out of steam over recent weeks. The 2-1 victory at West Ham last time out was only their second in the past seven Premier League matches, a run that also included an FA Cup semifinal defeat. A backed and raucous City Ground should provide all the fuel they need to go to the well one more time.

Getty Images

1 hr 45 mins before kickoff: The equation for Chelsea is simple: win this match and they are back into the Champions League. However, that's easier said than done and not just because Forest have enjoyed a formidable season. Enzo Maresca's side have only won once away from home in the Premier League since a 4-3 win at Tottenham on December 8. Their form on the road since then reads played 10, won one, drawn three, lost six.

2 hours before kickoff: Here we go, then. After 37 matchdays, the race for the UEFA Champions League comes down to this. Anyone feeling nervous?

One more. pic.twitter.com/kvuczofEhR

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 24, 2025

Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea kick off time

This Premier League match kicks off in Nottinghamshire, UK at 4 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Champions League permutations: What do Forest and Chelsea need?

This is effectively a straight shootout for a place in next season's UEFA Champions League. Chelsea come into the game in fifth place, which is the final qualifying spot. Forest are in seventh, just one point behind the Blues.

If Nottingham Forest win:

They will be on 68 points and guaranteed at least of finishing in the top six. They would also need one of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa to drop points if they are to finish in the top five, though.

If Chelsea win:

They will have 69 points and will be guaranteed a top-five finish regardless of results elsewhere, assuming Aston Villa do not produce an implausible goal-difference swing.

If the game ends in a draw:

Chelsea will have 67 points and Forest will have 66. Other results will then determine their final league positions:

• If Newcastle United lose OR if Aston Villa fail to win, Chelsea will finish in the top five.
• If Aston Villa lose, Nottingham Forest will finish sixth. If Aston Villa lose AND Newcastle lose by an improbable scoreline (likely 10-0), Forest will finish fifth.

Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions: