Nottingham Forest Relegation Battle: Matz Sels Urges Team To Get Over The Line

Nottingham Forest moved a step closer to Premier League safety with a 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, stretching the gap to six points above the relegation line with three matches remaining, as Matz Sels and Taiwo Awoniyi delivered decisive performances in a result that also extended the club’s unbeaten run across all competitions.

Sels saved a second-half penalty from Cole Palmer when Forest were leading 2-0, a turning point that helped protect the lead before Joao Pedro’s late response for Chelsea, while Awoniyi struck twice on his 100th appearance for the club, either side of Igor Jesus’ converted spot-kick, to claim a third Premier League brace.

Forest are now unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions, matching a sequence last achieved in January 2016 when the club went 13 games without defeat, and this is the first time they have produced a 10-game unbeaten spell as a top-flight side since November 1995, underlining their strong response during this stage of the Premier League season.

Awoniyi has scored two of those three Premier League braces away at Chelsea, and the forward is only the third visiting player to score at least twice in two separate league matches at Stamford Bridge, joining Craig Bellamy and Robin van Persie on that specific list, as Forest’s attacking output continued to rise during their current Premier League schedule.

Head coach Vitor Pereira rotated heavily before Forest’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa on Thursday, making eight changes to the starting lineup yet still restoring Awoniyi to the side, and that decision brought immediate reward as the striker marked the personal milestone of 100 Forest appearances with two goals in only a second Premier League start this season.

Key numbers around Awoniyi’s contribution to Nottingham Forest in this Premier League campaign are shown below in a simple breakdown of his role against Chelsea and across his wider top-flight displays for the club.

Football is a team game, everyone needs to be ready and it's not about everyone starting it's about the team, Awoniyi told Sky Sports. Kudos to the manager and the staff - not only the people on the ground but the nutritionists, physio. It's all about the team and looking forward to the next game. I believe it could be an amazing season for us.

Nottingham Forest Premier League survival push and Matz Sels influence

Sels played down personal praise after the Chelsea match but accepted the scale of the result in Forest’s Premier League survival effort, with the goalkeeper’s penalty stop and assured handling giving stability to a side that has not lost many fixtures in recent weeks while gaining belief that the points target required to stay up is within reach.

I was happy to help the team in a crucial moment and this win is massive for us. Still three games to play not yet done but we're almost there now. In the last few weeks we did really well, didn't lose a lot of games. We are doing well, the gaffer brings a lot of positive energy. He changed a lot of players but [Dilane] Bakwa, Taiwo [Awoniyi], they performed really well. Really happy for them because they don't always play but they've showed they can be there so really happy for these guys.

The manager’s tactical switches against Chelsea, the contributions from players such as Dilane Bakwa and Awoniyi, and the extended unbeaten sequence have combined to give Nottingham Forest a clear advantage in the Premier League relegation battle, with three league fixtures and a Europa League semi-final second leg still to contest as the squad targets a strong finish on both fronts.