Under-fire Postecoglou had hit the headlines with an impassioned defence of his time at Forest in his pre-match press conference 24 hours earlier, and his spell last season with Tottenham Hotspur, but a heavy loss to Chelsea brought the inevitable end to his short tenure.

The club announced his exit shortly after the full-time whistle, confirming his departure with a short statement that referenced "a series of disappointing results and performances".

Forest is now winless through Postecoglou's first eight games in all competitions, with home supporters voicing their frustrations after failing to capitalise on an encouraging first half.

Morgan Gibbs-White twice went close as an injury-hit Chelsea, which was without Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez, struggled to settle and committed a plethora of errors at the back.

Those missed opportunities were punished when Neto teed up teenager Josh Acheampong to head home his first Premier League goal in the 49th minute.

Neto swiftly added to Forest's frustration when sneaking a low drive through Matz Sels's hands, before Reece James's 84th-minute volley sealed a win that was marred by Malo Gusto's needless sending-off.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca admitted after the game that he felt sorry for Postecoglou.

"I didn't speak with Ange. I didn't see him, but I just said I feel very sorry for him," Maresca, who was serving a touchline ban, said.

"But I've said many times this is a business where if you don't win a game, the consequences for all of us are exactly the same, so I'm sorry for him."

A fourth defeat in five Premier League games under Postecoglou has dropped Forest into the relegation mire in 18th place with just five points, while Chelsea is sixth on 14.