To make the Champions League, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side must prove that they are made of champions-material
Nottingham Forest will play Chelsea in the final game of the season in what is effectively a final for Champions League qualification. Whichever side wins will almost certainly secure a spot at the expense of the other. If a draw, both sides risk missing out, with Newcastle, Manchester City and Aston Villa still deeply in contention.
Of the five sides vying for three spots in Europe’s elite competition next season, Newcastle lead the pile. After their loss to Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday, Howe’s side must now beat Everton at St James’s Park on 25 May or risk a gut-wrenching drop to sixth place.
But Newcastle are only provisionally top, at least until Manchester City play their game in hand against Bournemouth on Tuesday. A win for Pep Guardiola’s side would knock the Toons down to fourth, level on points with Chelsea and Aston Villa.
Nottingham Forest’s hard-fought win over West Ham on Sunday gave them a lifeline. Although they are currently in seventh place, they are only a point worse than all three of Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle.
Forest had taken an early lead when West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola played a poor pass to Guido Rodriguez in front of his penalty area and it was intercepted by Morgan Gibbs-White. Then they doubled their lead in the second half, just after the hour mark, when a freekick from Anthony Elanga was diverted past the goalkeeper by Nicola Milenkovic.
It looked like Forest would cruise to a win, but just four minutes from time Jarrod Bowen pulled one back for the home side to set up a nervy finish. West Ham piled men forward and Nuno Espirito Santo’s men dug a trench and sat down to defend.
After 17 minutes of added time, a close melee, a point-blank header parried away, and an exhausted eleven, Forest survive. An interesting, almost dramatic test awaits them on the final day: to prove that they can play in the Champions League, Forest must now act like champions and beat Chelsea at home on demand.
“We are trying to make something magical happen,” said Nuno. “It is going to be a special game.”
Indeed it is.
