Chelsea superstar Reece James’ tweet before kick-off against Nottingham Forest resurfaces after he produces match-winning assist off the bench

Chelsea captain Reece James came off the bench to make a difference for his side in their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on May 11. His tweet from before the game showed his intent. The Blues came from 2-1 down to claim a 3-2 win over Nottingham at City Ground, taking them level on points with Newcastle United in sixth.

England international James has missed a huge chunk of the season through injury, with his latest absence coming after a surgery in December. The 24-year-old has been out of action for five months and only returned to the squad for the first time this week.

Mauricio Pochettino announced ahead of the game that Reece James would be part of the squad for the game and hoped he could get minutes. The club captain made a post on X (formerly Twitter) ahead of the game today, indicating that he looked forward to it, which read:

"see u @ 5:30 blues⏰"

Pochettino opted to start Trevoh Chalobah at right-back, with both Reece James and Malo Gusto starting on the bench. With the Blues 2-1 down in the 79th minute, the manager sent James on in place of midfielder Conor Gallagher, who was on a yellow card.

James forced a corner-kick with his first touch as his cross was cleared by Moussa Niakhate. Raheem Sterling had made it 2-2 for Chelsea. James then needed just three minutes to provide a lovely assist for the winner, with his first-time cross headed into a gaping net by Nicolas Jackson.

The England right-back completed both of his attempted long passes in his time on the pitch, recording an assist. He also won three of his five duels in the 11 minutes he featured, and was fouled once.

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Reece James edges Chelsea towards Europe with Nottingham Forest win

Reece James was pivotal for Chelsea as they moved a step closer to European football with a rollercoaster 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. The 24-year-old provided an assist for the winning goal to help his side claim all three points.

The Blues took the lead through Mykhailo Mudryk in the eighth minute but were soon pegged back by Willy Boly's goal in the 16th minute. Former Blue Callum Hudson-Odoi scored a brilliant goal for Forest in the 74th minute, turning the game on its head and giving his side the lead.

Substitute Raheem Sterling came off the bench and curled home a delightful equaliser for Chelsea in the 80th minute. Jackson headed home a peach of a cross from Reece James in the 82nd minute to seal the win for Chelsea.

The west London side are in seventh place on 57 points and have won three successive games. They are level on points with Newcastle United, who drew with Brighton & Hove Albion earlier today (Saturday).