Reece James applauds the fans at full time after a win. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

11 passes into final third – Chelsea’s most creative player is not who you expect

Originally posted on Chelsea News | Last updated Oct 18, 2025 1:30 PM ET

Chelsea managed to beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 today after a slow start, in part thanks to a goal and assist from Pedro Neto.

Neto may have got the man of the match award on some stats sites because of those important contributions, and they shouldn’t be underplayed, but he struggled as much as the rest of his team in the first half.

The true man of the match has to be Reece James. He scored the third, but long before that he had shown his credentials.

James’s superb stats back up great performance

FotMob gave James a 8.7 rating, level with Neto.

He completed 43 of 48 passes with 67 touches, showing how influential he was down the right flank. He played more passes into the final third than anyone else on the pitch. No outfield player had more completed long balls than the full back.

You can see some of his top stats in the table here:

Category	Statistic	Value
Overall	Minutes Played	90
	Goals	1
	Assists	1
	Chances Created	2
	Expected Goals (xG)	0.23
	Expected Assists (xA)	0.03
	xG + xA	0.26
	Touches	67
Attack	Total Shots	3
	Shots on Target	2/3 (67%)
	Accurate Passes	43/48 (90%)
	Passes into Final Third	11
	Accurate Crosses	0/2 (0%)
	Accurate Long Balls	5/8 (63%)
	Successful Dribbles	1/1 (100%)
	Touches in Opposition Box	1
	Non-Penalty xG	0.23
	Dispossessed	2
Defence	Defensive Contributions	2
	Tackles	0
	Blocks	0
	Clearances	1
	Headed Clearances	1
	Interceptions	1
	Recoveries	5
	Dribbled Past	1
	Ground Duels Won	2/5 (40%)
	Aerial Duels Won	1/1 (100%)
	Was Fouled	1
	Fouls Committed	0

It was another sensational showing from the captain, who has now been fit for an extended period and is really showing the benefits of that. We still need to treat him carefully, and we hope he’s given a rest when we face Ajax on Wednesday night.

In other news…

Josh Acheampong got a ton of praise from his manager at full time. The boss continues to say he trusts the defender, and today he proved it by giving him a start.

Acheampong was assisted for his goal by Pedro Neto, who also scored the second. It was a great effort from the winger, whose stats from the game were superb.

This article first appeared on Chelsea News and was syndicated with permission.

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