Why Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest Was Given Strange Kick Off Time on Monday
- Chelsea's unusual 2 pm kick-off against Nottingham Forest sparked intrigue in Premier League scheduling
- Both teams were chasing different goals, with Chelsea pushing for European qualification while Forest battled to avoid relegation
- The match's rescheduling was due to Forest's Europa League commitments, maximising viewing during the UK Bank Holiday
Chelsea hosted Nottingham Forest on Monday afternoon in a fixture that raised eyebrows due to its unusual 2 pm GMT kick-off time, something rarely seen on a weekday in the Premier League.
Forest arrived at Stamford Bridge in strong form and, despite making several changes, secured a crucial result.
Source: Getty Images
A second-string side took a big step towards survival by handing Chelsea their sixth straight league defeat.
Vítor Pereira made eight changes with one eye on the upcoming Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa, but goals from Taiwo Awoniyi (twice) and Igor Jesus sealed the win, opening a six-point gap over 18th-placed West Ham United.
Chelsea managed only a late consolation through João Pedro, narrowly avoiding the unwanted record of going six consecutive league games without scoring for the first time in their history.
Their struggles were highlighted earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty after 18-year-old academy winger Jesse Derry suffered a serious-looking head injury on his first senior start.
Why the match kicked off early
The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 2, but had to be moved because of Forest’s ongoing involvement in the UEFA Europa League.
They had beaten Aston Villa 1-0 at the City Ground in the semi-final first leg on Thursday, making it impossible to play again so soon.
While such matches are usually moved to Sunday, this particular weekend featured a Bank Holiday in the United Kingdom. According to BBC Sport, this allowed the Premier League greater flexibility to maximise viewership, as more people were off work.
As a result, the match was given an early Monday kick-off to allow Nottingham Forest additional recovery time ahead of their second-leg clash at Villa Park on Thursday.
A Bank Holiday is a national public holiday in the UK, during which banks are typically closed and many workers get time off to spend with their families.
Source: YEN.com.gh
