Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest head-to-head

The Blues travel to the East Midlands unbeaten in our last three visits to the City Ground, winning two and drawing the other since a 2-0 loss in the Premier League in January 1997.

Chelsea play Nottingham Forest for the 100th time in all competitions.

Chelsea have lost one of our last 12 games against Nottingham Forest in all competitions (won eight, drawn three), with that defeat coming at Stamford Bridge last season (1-0).

Chelsea won this fixture 3-2 last season. Only once have we won consecutive away league games against Nottingham Forest, beating them 3-2 in February 1912 and then 4-0 over ten years later (December 1922).

This is just the second time Nottingham Forest and Chelsea will have met in the final game of a league campaign, previously doing so in 1960-61 (a 4-3 win for the Blues when Jimmy Greaves scored all four on his last Chelsea appearance).

Head-to-Head (all competitions)

Played 99
Won 41
Drawn 31
Lost 27

Biggest win for each team

Nottingham Forest 1-5 Chelsea - 1925/26 Division Two
Chelsea 5-1 Nottingham Forest - 2017/18 League Cup
Nottingham Forest 7-0 Chelsea - 1990/91 Division One

Last five meetings at the City Ground

23 Aug 1995: Premier League D 0-0
11 Jan 1997: Premier League L 0-2
20 Feb 1999: Premier League W 3-1 Forssell, Goldbaek 2
1 Jan 2023: Premier League D 1-1 Sterling
11 May 2024: Premier League W 3-2 Mudryk, Sterling, Jackson

Chelsea stats

The Blues have only lost our final game in two of the last 13 Premier League seasons (won eight, drawn three), with those defeats coming at Newcastle in 2017/18 (3-0) and Aston Villa in 2020/21 (2-1).

Only Liverpool (228) have had more shots on target than Chelsea (216) in the Premier League this season, our most in a season since having 223 in 2019/20.

Chelsea are on course to have the youngest average starting XI in Premier League history for a single campaign (currently 24 years, 27 days). Leeds United currently hold that record (1999/00 – 24y 162d), followed by Aston Villa (2012/13 – 24y 174d) and Arsenal (2008/09 – 24y 225d).

Cole Palmer has created 87 chances in the Premier League this season, the most by a Chelsea player since Mason Mount in 2020/21 (87), with Eden Hazard in 2018/19 the last player with more (98).

Palmer has also had 125 shots, with that combined with his chances created (212) the most shots and chances created for the Blues since Didier Drogba in 2010/11 (150 shots, 74 chances created).

Moises Caicedo, if selected, will be the first Chelsea player to start all 38 games in a single Premier League season since Cesar Azpilicueta in the 2018/19 campaign.

Nottingham Forest stats

This season’s Premier League stats (37 games)

Most minutes played (max 3,330): Sels 3,330, Milenkovic 3,240, Murillo 3,101, Aina 2,920
Most goals: Wood 20, Gibbs-White 7, Elanga 6, Hudson-Odoi 5, Milenkovic 5
Assists: Elanga 11, Gibbs-White 8, Anderson 6
Clean sheets: Sels 13

Nottingham Forest have won 19 Premier League matches this season, more than they did in 2022/23 and 2023/24 combined (18). They last won more than 20 games in 1994/95 (22), while they’ve never done so in a 38-game top-flight season.

Even if they lose this match, Nottingham Forest are guaranteed their highest Premier League finish since 1994/95, when they came 3rd.

Nottingham Forest have gone seven Premier League games without a clean sheet, with goalkeeper Matz Sels currently joint top with Arsenal’s David Raya on 13 clean sheets this campaign.

Having gone unbeaten at home in nine league matches between November and April (seven wins, two draws), Nottingham Forest have lost two and drawn one of their last three.

Forest have scored four goals in six Premier League home games since their 7-0 beating of Brighton in February.

They have won one of their 11 Premier League games this season in which they have conceded the opening goal (two draws, eight defeats).

Chris Wood has scored 20 Premier League goals this season, the most by a Nottingham Forest player in a season since Stan Collymore scored 22 in 1994/95. He’s netted 34.5 per cent of Forest’s league goals this term (20/58), the highest share of any player for their team in 2024/25.

No side has gone 1-0 up in more Premier League games than Nottingham Forest this season (25). Meanwhile, only Liverpool (14) have kept more clean sheets and Arsenal (58) have conceded fewer big chances than Forest (13 clean sheets, 70 big chances conceded).

When ending a league campaign at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest have lost five of their last seven games, including each of their last two (1-4 v Stoke in 2019/20, 1-2 v Preston in 2020/21, both in the Championship).

Last Premier League line-up

Sunday 18 May

West Ham United 1 Nottingham Forest 2

Team (4-3-1-2): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Dominguez (Yates 90+5), Sangare (Morato 83), Anderson (Hudson-Odoi 83); Gibbs-White (c) (Danilo 83); Wood, Elanga (Jota Silva 90+5)
Booked: Anderson, Murillo, Morato
Goals: Gibbs-White 11, Milenkovic 61

Match officials

Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: Peter Bankes

Anthony Taylor is the referee for his fifth Chelsea match of the season. The others were away games at Fulham, Tottenham and Bournemouth, as well as Manchester City at the Bridge on the opening day.