Joao Pedro criticised Chelsea after a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge left them ninth in the Premier League and out of the Champions League places on Moday.
Forest scored inside 98 seconds through Taiwo Awoniyi and set the tone against a rotated side. Chelsea conceded again from a penalty by Igor Jesus before Awoniyi added a second goal in the 52nd minute. Pedro scored late in added time but the result never shifted.
Pedro pointed to the early goal as a decisive moment. “We conceded too early. Against a team like Forest it is difficult to come back.”
Chelsea struggled to control the game after the break. Forest attacked direct and forced errors in defence. Chelsea failed to deal with transitions and lost duels in key areas.
Pedro called for change in approach and execution. “We have to find a way not to make these mistakes every match. We need to get back to winning. This is the Premier League. If you concede early it is very hard to come back. We have to do better.”
The defeat extended Chelsea’s losing run to six matches, their worst sequence since November 1993. They dropped from fifth and now sit on 48 points after 35 games.
Arsenal lead the table on 76 points, with Manchester City on 71, Manchester United on 64, and Liverpool and Aston Villa on 58. The top five qualify for the Champions League, leaving Chelsea outside reach even if they win their remaining three matches.
