Ben Chilwell admits Chelsea need to find a ruthless streak as their inconsistent start to the Premier League season saw them lose at home to Nottingham Forest.
Anthony Elanga came off the bench to score the only goal of the game as Steve Cooper’s visitors left Stamford Bridge with a hard-fought 1-0 win.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino had named the same side that beat Luton last time out in the league but, despite dominating possession, the Blues failed to find a way past Matt Turner in the Forest goal.
The hosts had 21 shots to Forest’s seven but managed to get just two on target as Nicolas Jackson – one of their big-money summer signings – missed a sitter in the search for an equaliser.
The loss leaves Chelsea on four points from four games, already eight points off the pace despite a summer of heavy recruitment.
“We are moving in the right direction,” Chilwell told the club’s official website.
“Every game we have controlled possession and the majority of matches we have played well. We need to finish chances, be more ruthless and stay composed to get back into games.
“That’s the final bit, finishing our chances. If you look at the stats we dominated the game, had the possession, but the most important stat is the goals. We lost in that department and lost the game, that is the black and white of it.”
Chilwell, who will now link up with England for their forthcoming fixtures against Ukraine and Scotland, believes results will improve once Pochettino’s new-look squad become more familiarised.
“It is a very new team still and a lot of new players still trying to find their feet at a new club,” he added.
“You have to understand their playing styles but it is a game we still should be winning. No excuses. We will hopefully turn this round as the confidence grows.”
Forest also had a busy summer in the transfer market as they recruited 13 new signings in a bid to avoid another relegation scrap.
Elanga was one of them, arriving from Manchester United for £15million, and he made the difference three minutes into the second half at Chelsea having only replaced Danilo in first-half stoppage time.
Asked if his first Forest goal was something he could now aim to build on, the Sweden international replied: “I need to play for me to build that confidence and that’s something I didn’t really get to do at United.
“But now that I’m here, I feel like I’ve got the confidence of the manager who has given me these opportunities and hopefully these opportunities will turn into starts and more goals and assists.”
Sevilla 1-2 Barcelona: Bittersweet farewell for Xavi as Barca end season with a win
Barcelona ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla in LaLiga on Sunday, making departing coach Xavi's farewell bittersweet after a trophy-less season.
La Blaugrana came out all guns blazing from the start and took the lead in the 15th minute through Robert Lewandowski who scored from close range after latching onto Joao Cancelo's cross.
Sevilla levelled with Youssef En-Nesyri's strike in the 31st minute and went close again but failed to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen before Barca got the winner on the hour through Fermin Lopez.
Barca were already guaranteed second place going into Xavi's final game. The Spaniard was sacked on Friday, after a disappointing campaign in which they lost the Spanish Supercopa final to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final.
Data Debrief: A legend departs
Xavi never lost any of his six games as a manager against Sevilla in LaLiga (W5 D1), making them just the third opponent that he faced six times without defeat (also W5 D1 against Real Mallorca and Osasuna).
Fermin got the all-important goal to ensure Xavi's tenure ended on a high note. He has scored seven goals in LaLiga in 2024, a record surpassed by only one other Spanish player in Europe's top five leagues this year: Iago Aspas (eight).
Verona 2-2 Inter: Arnautovic double earns point for Serie A winners
Champions Inter end their Serie A season with a 2-2 draw against Verona thanks to a Marko Arnautovic double.
The Austrian opened the scoring after 10 minutes with a neat finish, but Inter were soon pegged back as Tijjani Noslin equalised six minutes later.
The Dutchman then set up Tomas Suslov for their second to turn the game on its head, but another smart finish from Arnautovic on the stroke of half-time ensured they would salvage a point.
Simone Perilli proved the hero for Verona in the end, pulling off a string of fine saves to keep his side level.
Data Debrief: Landmark for Inzaghi
Simone Inzaghi has now earned 250 points as a coach in Serie A with Inter, an achievement only Roberto Mancini has reached so far with the Nerazzurri in the three-points-per-win era (436). This draw takes him up to the landmark after 77 wins and 19 draws (18 losses).
After winning the Scudetto with five games to go, Inzaghi has led Inter to 94 points in Serie A, with only three teams ever earning more points in a single campaign in the competition in the three-points-per-win era: Inter in 2006-07 (97) and Juventus in 2013-14 (102) and 2017-18 (95).
Bonucci calls time on glittering career
Leonardo Bonucci has called time on his glittering career, after playing his final game for Fenerbahce.
The decorated defender announced on Saturday that he would retire at the end of the Turkish Super Lig season, which concluded with Ismail Kartal's side inflicting a 6-0 rout on Istanbulspor.
However, it was not quite enough to snatch the title from Galatasaray, who finished three points clear after a 3-1 victory at Konyaspor on the final day.
Bonucci, who signed from Union Berlin in January, was given a wonderful reception as he was presented with a plaque before the game, in which he came on as a 64th-minute substitute.
The 37-year-old enjoyed the most success during his career with Juventus, where he won eight Serie A titles and reached two Champions League finals, while he helped Italy to glory at Euro 2020.
"It was a pleasure for me to be a part of this wonderful family," he said of his time at Fenerbahce on Saturday. "I tried to show my best on and off the field.
A statement on the club website paid tribute to Bonucci, reading: "It was an honour to see a legend like you in a Cubuklu jersey.
"At this special moment of your career, we would like to thank you on behalf of the entire Fenerbahce family. We wish you successful and healthy days in which you will be a part of football in your future life."
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