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Before kick-off, a giant banner dangled from the upper tier of the Trent End. It was an oversized brown tourist sign. “Destination: Europe,” it read. Below that, a flag of a camper van with Nottingham Forest scarves flickering out of the windows. For Forest, all roads from here lead to the Europa Conference League and not the Champions League, which Chelsea will play in next season after two years away. First, however, for Enzo Maresca and Chelsea, is a trip to Wroclaw, a final against Real Betis, in the competition Forest will grace for the first time next season.
For Forest, it was impossible to avoid the sense of anticlimax, despite returning to Europe for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup under Frank Clark in 1995-96. In the end, the biggest boost of the day probably arrived 15 minutes before kick-off, when Taiwo Awoniyi emerged from the tunnel. The striker, who required urgent abdominal surgery and was placed in an induced coma after colliding with a post here against Leicester, was given a hero’s welcome after walking on to the pitch tapping his chest and applauding all four sides of this stadium.
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This was a game of few openings but when the ball landed at the feet of Levi Colwill, after Pedro Neto was played in on goal, the Chelsea defender made no mistake, side-footing in the only goal of the game to confirm Maresca’s side will return to Uefa’s elite competition. Colwill does not score many goals – this was just his second of the season, his other coming against his hometown club Southampton – but this strike was as valuable as they come. Marc Cucurella recycled Cole Palmer’s cross, headed away by Murillo, and Neco Williams inadvertently nodded the ball into Neto’s path. Neto could not direct his effort goalwards but Colwill was free at the back post to score from close range. A cussing Nuno Espírito Santo shook his head on the sidelines.
Forest had two good chances, both falling to their leading scorer, Chris Wood. The first came a couple of minutes before the interval, Wood volleying over from the former Chelsea defender Ola Aina’s cross. Robert Sanchez asked questions of his defence but Forest failed to quiz Chelsea any further, allowing the visitors to coast to victory.
Forest tried to force the issue in eight minutes of added time, throwing numbers forward, Colwill making an unforced error. The hosts created an opening in the 94th minute when Matz Sels, from inside the Chelsea half, looked for Wood. The Forest striker cushioned the ball superbly on his thigh but, under pressure from Tosin Adarabioyo, he could not keep his shot down and spooned it over.
