Chelsea 2-0 Nottingham Forest: 3 reasons why the Blues won | FA Cup 2019-20

After a 2-0 win over EFL Championship side Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Chelsea safely went through into the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Frank Lampard’s side took an early lead through Callum Hudson-Odoi, who slotted in with a slick finish after just 6 minutes when he cut in from the right before firing into the bottom corner. In the 33rd minute, the young winger turned provider when his shot was parried by Forest keeper Jordan Smith, and Ross Barkley poked it home.

The game was not without VAR controversy but overall it was a commanding performance from the Blues, who should go into the next stage of the tournament with plenty of confidence.

Here are 3 reasons why Chelsea beat Nottingham Forest.

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#3 Chelsea’s attacking prowess shone through

Ross Barkley scored a rare goal for Chelsea today

Lampard made 9 changes for this cup-tie, and even left out top scorer Tammy Abraham, but it turned out to be a decision that largely worked well. Hudson-Odoi’s opener came from a swift passing combination between Pedro, Barkley and Michy Batshuayi, none of whom have been first team regulars recently and it was the Englishman, who hasn’t played since October, who added the Blues’ second goal.

Chelsea thoroughly dominated possession in this game, ending the match with a 76% share of the ball. Thus, it came as no surprise that they had 17 shots on goal too, although only 5 of them were on target.

Clear-cut chances were admittedly hard to come by, but Lampard’s side looked bright throughout the game and his squad is deep despite their lack of experience. Essentially, Forest were always likely to struggle here due to the gap in talent between the two sides and the fact that they were heading into hostile territory at Stamford Bridge.

#2 Nottingham don't get the rub of the green

VAR was not on Forest's side today, disallowing a second half goal for offside

The VAR system seems to cause controversy every single week and today’s cup tie at Stamford Bridge was no exception. Nottingham Forest struggled for traction during the game and were well beaten 2-0 in the end. But, their fans could probably afford to feel aggrieved after two big decisions went against them, courtesy the much-criticised video technology.

First, with the EFL Championship side just 1-0 down, referee Peter Bankes awarded them a penalty when Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori brought 17-year old forward Alex Mighten down inside the box. It looked like Forest would have a golden opportunity to equalise, only for VAR to deny them when it was decided that Mighten had been offside at the time of the foul. Once again, this was a questionable decision, as it appeared that the youngster had strayed off by a matter of millimetres

The second half then saw Forest denied an equaliser after Ryan Yates’ glancing header was disallowed for an offside by the assistant referee, a call that was indeed correct and was also backed up by VAR. Forest could have few complaints here, but to lose out on two key decisions still seems unlucky.

#1 Forest didn’t seem to take the competition seriously

Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi may not have been taking the FA Cup seriously

Recent seasons have seen Premier League sides, particularly those with one eye on Europe or those involved in a relegation battle, criticised for seemingly not taking the FA Cup seriously, with them often playing youth team products or fringe players rather than fielding a full-strength side. Well, judging by today’s tie at Stamford Bridge, the same criticism could be levelled at EFL Championship sides too.

Nottingham Forest’s boss Sabri Lamouchi had apparently predicted that his side had “no chance” of beating Chelsea away, and that rang true as his side only had one shot on target during the entire game. But it must also be noted that he made 10 changes from the side that recently beat Blackburn Rovers in league action, including a first start for 17-year old Alex Mighten and opportunities given to various fringe players.

Essentially, it felt like Lamouchi had decided that it would be better for his club’s fortunes to focus on a potential promotion to the Premier League than a cup run, and with the financial implications of making it into England’s top flight, not many would blame him.

It’s notable though that despite sitting in 4th position in the Championship table, Forest are currently 9 points adrift of the two automatic promotion spots. The debate about the importance of the FA Cup will definitely rage on, but Lamouchi’s decisions today suggest that the once-beloved competition is certainly losing its lustre, even outside the Premier League.