Chelsea’s chances of securing UEFA Champions League football next season took a major hit following a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on May 11.
The Magpies took an early lead via Sandro Tonali, but it was Nicolas Jackson’s red card in the 36th minute that turned the game on its head, as the Blues were forced to play more than half the match with one man less, before Bruno Guimaraes eventually wrapped up the result.
That result laves Enzo Maresca’s side hanging onto fifth place in the Premier League table, ahead of Aston Villa only on goal difference.
The battle to finish inside the EPL top five – and seal qualification for next season’s UCL – could now go all the way to the final weekend of the season.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher gave his verdict on the race after Chelsea’s loss on Tyneside, via an interview with Sky Sports.
“Chelsea will beat Man United. It’s whether they can beat Nottingham Forest away on the last day. There will be a big atmosphere there.
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“Maybe even if they can’t get Champions League football, I think Nottingham Forest, last game of the season, the supporters will be desperate to say almost like a big thank you for the season that they’ve had.
“They’ve got European football, and that’s a great achievement. I actually think it’ll be Chelsea and Nottingham Forest who miss out and Aston Villa get in.”
Chelsea fans will hope that their team can prove Carragher wrong, but if they don’t, they may look back at that Jackson red card as a season-defining moment.
With two league games remaining in 2024/25, Chelsea are just point above Forest in seventh spot, but they are also just three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
City and Newcastle are likely to have done enough to get over the top five line but the situation is far from clear for a clutch of teams chasing the UCL dream.
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