Levi Colwill’s decisive second-half goal sealed Chelsea’s place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, as the Blues edged Nottingham Forest 1-0 on the final day of the Premier League season.
Victory at the City Ground confirmed a fourth-place finish for Enzo Maresca’s side, who now look ahead to a summer of big transfer decisions and a midweek Conference League final clash against Real Betis.
Colwill turned home from close range just five minutes after the break, giving Chelsea the edge in a tightly-contested, nervy affair.
The Blues had shown glimpses of promise throughout the campaign, and while consistency eluded them at times, they achieved their primary goal — a return to Europe’s elite stage.
For Nottingham Forest, the narrow defeat denied them a fairytale return to the Champions League, but it should not diminish what has been a remarkable campaign under Nuno Espírito Santo.
Despite falling short of the top five, Forest finished seventh, securing a place in the UEFA Conference League — their first European adventure since 1996.
Forest gave it their all but fell short. The disappointment of the final few weeks should not overshadow what has been a renaissance at the club.
They ran out of steam, with the closing stages proving too much for a side that looked destined for Champions League qualification in March. Any recency bias might suggest the season ended in failure, but scatter the results across the season, and seventh place is exceptional.
Nuno has helped shape a squad with real chemistry — players who bounce off each other and genuinely enjoy playing together.
That camaraderie has been evident throughout the campaign and bodes well for their upcoming European challenge. The Conference League may lack the prestige or riches of the Champions League, but it offers Forest a genuine shot at silverware and further growth on the continental stage.
The game itself was tight and tense. First-half chances were at a premium, with Pedro Neto and Chris Wood failing to hit the target for Forest, while Chelsea probed cautiously. After the break, Colwill’s poacher’s finish was the breakthrough the visitors needed.
Forest pressed hard in the final stages but lacked the cutting edge to find an equaliser. Wood’s stoppage-time miss — firing over from close range — summed up their late-season frustration.
Despite a disappointing end, Forest’s campaign will be remembered fondly. They have shown they can compete with the league’s elite and are now set to take that fight to Europe.
It has been a long road back to the continental stage for the former two-time European champions, and the Conference League presents a stage for Forest to rekindle their glory days.
For Chelsea, this win is more than just three points — it’s a ticket back to relevance. Their participation in next season’s Champions League repositions them among Europe’s elite and bolsters their appeal in the transfer market. Manager Maresca confirmed earlier that their summer plans depended on securing a top-four finish — mission accomplished.
