Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest: Ex-Premier League defender questions Blues direction in worrying assessment

Jamie Carragher has laid into Chelsea after their sixth consecutive Premier League defeat on Monday against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues paid the price for a wretched opening 15 minutes during which they fell 2-0 behind to goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Igor Jesus.

While they had the chance to halve the deficit before the break, Cole Palmer had his penalty saved by Matz Sels, and the Tricky Trees added to their lead in the second half through Awoniyi before Joao Pedro scored a late consolation.

The Brazilian's goal marked the end of an extended top-flight goal drought which saw the Blues go nearly six games without scoring a league goal.

Carragher labels Chelsea a "broken club" following Forest defeat

Carragher provided a scathing assessment of the club's current state, describing the Blues as a "broken" institution following their latest setback.

"It's shocking and it comes from the top," said Carragher on Sky Sports News. "There's five or six really top players on the pitch today and they've been beaten by Nottingham Forest's B team.

"Less than 12 months ago, they were taking PSG to the cleaners. In some ways, it's a good thing because it tells you that football isn't just all about spending money, buying players and this revolving door.

"It's about creating togetherness and there's nothing there. They look like a broken football club right now."

Carragher suggested that the constant revolving door of players has prevented the squad from building any meaningful togetherness or a coherent tactical identity.

McFarlane demands response amid historic Chelsea slump

Interim boss Calum McFarlane labelled the team's opening 15 minutes as "unacceptable" after conceding two early goals.

While the hosts hit the woodwork through Enzo Fernandez and missed a penalty, the lack of defensive organisation remains a glaring issue for the coaching staff.

"The first 15 minutes was unacceptable," admitted McFarlane. "Really disappointed with the performance, disappointed with the result, I don't think we ever got to our level today that we know we're capable of.

"I thought the first 15 minutes we were nowhere near the level we needed to be. The early goal was a bit of a sucker punch and we didn't seem to really recover from that moment.

"It was a three vs one at the back post. We know that they like to cross to the back post, we know that the No 9 likes to peel to the back post, and we should defend that moment better.

"Really disappointing. I thought we defended that moment really well [against] Leeds at Wembley and I just don't think we recovered from that moment well enough."

Chelsea's latest defeat mathematically rules them out of finishing in the top five, leaving the ninth-placed club chasing a European spot via an FA Cup victory over Manchester City.