With a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, Chelsea secured their place in the Champions League, breaking their goal’s path to the top five on Sunday.
After missing two years, Colwill’s opener at the City Ground made it 2-0 for Enzo Maresca’s side to regain its top club competition.
The Blues finished fourth in the Premier League, four points clear of Forest, who was forced to join the UEFA Conference League after failing to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1980-81.
Chelsea’s fans’ criticism of Maresca’s conversative tactics was criticized, but they still won five of their previous six league games to earn a spot in the Champions League.
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Chelsea can now look ahead to winning their first trophy since the Club World Cup in 2022 when they face Real Betis in Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League final. After that, they will face Real Betis in the final.
Following a turbulent debut season in charge of the Italian, leading Chelsea to silverware and Champions League qualification would be a fitting response for Maresca’s skeptics.
Chelsea’s impressive 18-game away league win streak at Stamford Bridge contrasts with their impressive record of 12 wins from 19 at Stamford Bridge.
After Maresca urged them to demonstrate that they could handle the pressure of a must-win game on the road, they accepted Maresca’s challenge.
Forest, who finished third for a while, had to pay the price for their four previous home losses.
For a club that struggled to avoid relegation on the last day of last season, Forest’s highest finish since 1994-1995 was impressive despite missing out on the Champions League.
Chelsea keep their nerves,  .
When Forest’s players exited the team bus, hundreds of fans greeted them, setting the stage for a raucous environment that reached its peak just before kick-off.
Awoniyi has been recovering after being placed in an induced coma following surgery after suffering a serious abdominal injury after colliding with a post against Leicester.
Forest was urged to use Nuno Espirito Santo’s horrific injury as their inspiration when he recovered from his ordeal.
In a tense match, Nuno’s team showed no signs of weakness as they worked tirelessly to thwart Chelsea.
Chelsea waited half an hour before Pedro Neto’s wasteful header over five yards after Cole Palmer’s cross beat the winger.
Just before half-time, Forest striker Chris Wood wasted a similar opportunity when he met Ola Aina’s cross with a volley that flew over from close range.
Chelsea’s starting lineup was the youngest in the Premier League history, with an average age of 24 years and 36 days.
Chelsea’s lack of experience has occasionally caused issues during a difficult campaign, but they did so in the 50th minute.
Neto intercepted Neco Williams’ weak move to leave, and his low cross tapped Colwill for a tap-in at the far post.
The 22-year-old defender’s second goal this season suffocated Forest fans, before reports of Newcastle’s top five rivals’ defeat at Everton gave rise to renewed roars of hope from the stands.
It was that kind of afternoon, with country-wide momentum swings, but Chelsea held their ground to claim a lucrative Champions League spot.
Source: Channels TV
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