Chelsea projects coming together

Levi Colwill's goal clinched Chelsea's place in the Champions League next season with a narrow and nervy win at Nottingham Forest, who qualified for the Conference League despite defeat.

The defender's second-half strike meant Enzo Maresca's side finished fourth in the Premier League and ended Forest's own hopes of returning to Europe's top table.

Chelsea can prepare for the Champions League - a goal which was expected and demanded - with Maresca confirming their transfer targets depended on which competition they are in next season.

Victory also gave them the perfect platform for Wednesday's Conference League final against Real Betis in Poland.

It was disappointment for Forest, who survived on the final day last term, but even after missing out on the top five their season and seventh place is a success.

Two wins in their final eight games meant they fell away having sat in the top four for large parts of the season, and they will now play in the Conference League, three years after returning to the top flight after a 23-year absence.

Forest ended the campaign winless in four at home and could not rediscover their form as a tense game initially struggled to live up to its billing.

While intriguing, it lacked the drama of a shootout for a Champions League place.

Pedro Neto and Chris Wood turned over the bar in the first half but there was little action, though that changed when Colwill turned the ball home from close range five minutes after the break.

The hosts could not respond - there was plenty of effort but little quality, and Wood fired over in stoppage time to miss their best chance.

Forest gave it their all but fell short. The disappointment of the final few weeks should not overshadow what has been a renaissance at the club, who return to Europe for the first time since 1996.

They ran out of steam, the last few weeks of the season proving too much for a side who looked like they would reach the Champions League in March.

Any recency bias could suggest the season has ended in failure but scatter the results through the entire season and finishing seventh is exceptional.

Nuno Espirito Santo has helped shape a squad of players who bounce off each other and enjoy their team-mates' company - and that has been evident on the pitch.

The Conference League may not bring the riches of the Champions League, but Forest can now go into a European competition with a viable chance of winning it and building on the exceptional efforts of the season.

Chelsea celebrated at the City Ground, the substitutes' bench bursting on to the pitch at the final whistle.

Colwill's tap-in settled a game which failed to live up to its pre-match billing as the two teams slugged it out with a Champions League spot the ultimate prize.

Chelsea feel they belong there, and Maresca got them over the line in what could be a triumphant few days before Wednesday's Conference League final.

The average age of Chelsea's starting line-up in the Premier League this season is 24 years and 36 days - the youngest ever.

With qualification for the Champions League and a potential European trophy, the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge can start to rightly claim their project is finally coming to life after several false dawns.