The chelsea f.c. vs nottingham forest timeline is one of English football’s oldest top-flight rivalries, with the first meeting between the sides dating back to 1906.
Their most recent encounter kicked off in the afternoon on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea recorded a commanding 5-1 win.
That result was the latest entry in a fixture history featuring 101 meetings across all competitions, a rivalry that has swung firmly in Chelsea’s direction over the past three decades after Forest’s early dominance.
This article works through the chelsea f.c. vs nottingham forest timeline in full, drawing on the available historical record to trace the fixture from its earliest days to the present.
Early Meetings and Historic Milestones
Forest were regarded as the far bigger club when the two sides first met, and the early record reflects that.
Forest won six of their opening seven head-to-heads, a run that was played out between 1906 and 1909.
The East Midlands club also put together a three-game winning streak in the late 1970s, a period in which they were winning the Division One title and back-to-back European Cups between 1977 and 1979.
Through the 1980s and into the early-to-mid 1990s, both clubs traded regular victories over one another as they settled into Premier League consolidation.
The picture changed sharply from 1998 onward, with Chelsea winning ten of the thirteen meetings that followed across various competitions.
A 24-year gap without a Premier League fixture followed once Forest dropped down to the EFL, before the two clubs were drawn together again in cup competition and, eventually, back in the top flight.
Forest went three games unbeaten against Chelsea upon their return to the Premier League in 2022, taking two draws and a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge, before Chelsea turned the tide.
Timeline of key eras
| Period | Notable outcome |
|---|---|
| 1906–1909 | Forest win 6 of the first 7 meetings |
| 1977–1979 | Forest win 3 straight amid title and European Cup success |
| 1980s–mid 1990s | Fixture evenly contested |
| 1998–present | Chelsea dominant, winning 10 of 13 meetings |
| 2022 (return to PL) | Forest unbeaten in first 3 games back (2 draws, 1 win) |
| May 2024 | Forest win 3-2 |
| Oct 2024 | 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge |
| May 25, 2025 | Forest 0-1 Chelsea (final day, City Ground) |
| Oct 18, 2025 | Forest 0-3 Chelsea (City Ground) |
| May 4, 2026 | Most recent meeting; Chelsea win 5-1 at Stamford Bridge |
Key points from this era:
- Forest won six of the first seven meetings between the clubs, from 1906 to 1909
- Forest’s strongest recent spell came during their title-winning and European Cup years of 1977-79
- Chelsea have been the dominant side since 1998, winning ten of thirteen meetings
- Forest enjoyed an unbeaten start on their return to the Premier League in 2022
- Chelsea have won each of the last four meetings between the sides
Head-to-Head Record and Recent Form
Chelsea and Nottingham Forest have met 101 times across all competitions.
Forest have won 27 of those 101 meetings, a record shaped heavily by their early dominance and their strong spell in the late 1970s.
Chelsea’s superior recent form has narrowed the psychological gap even if the all-time figures still reflect Forest’s historic status as the bigger club for long stretches of the twentieth century.
The most recent meeting, played on May 4, 2026, at Stamford Bridge, ended in a 5-1 win for Chelsea.
That victory followed a 3-0 Chelsea win at the City Ground in October 2025 and a narrow 1-0 Chelsea win on the final day of the 2024-25 season that helped secure Champions League qualification.
Before that run, Forest had beaten Chelsea 3-2 in May 2024, one of the club’s rare recent successes in the fixture.
Chelsea have not lost to Forest since that 2024 defeat, winning three and drawing one of the four meetings that have followed.
All-time head-to-head snapshot
| Metric | Chelsea | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|---|
| Total meetings | 101 | 101 |
| Wins | — | 27 |
| Notable spell | 10 wins in 13 since 1998 | 6 wins in first 7 (1906-09) |
| Last 4 meetings (wins) | 3 | 0 |
Recent meetings
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| May 4, 2026 | Chelsea 5-1 Nottingham Forest |
| Oct 18, 2025 | Nottingham Forest 0-3 Chelsea |
| May 25, 2025 | Nottingham Forest 0-1 Chelsea |
| Oct 2024 | Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest |
| May 2024 | Nottingham Forest win 3-2 |
Key points from this section:
- Forest have won 27 of the 101 all-time meetings between the clubs
- Chelsea have been dominant since 1998, and again since their 2024 defeat to Forest
- The most recent match, on May 4, 2026, ended 5-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
- Chelsea’s win on the final day of 2024-25 helped the club secure Champions League football
- Forest’s most recent win in the fixture came in May 2024, a 3-2 result
