There will be times when Chelsea’s approach looks like a masterstroke and others when it looks like madness. This was definitely the latter.

After the loss at West Ham came a defeat against a near-faultless Nottingham Forest who enjoyed an away day to remember at Stamford Bridge, displaying more evidence of the increased threat they will pose on the road this season after previously giving Arsenal and Manchester United scares.

For Chelsea it was another dominant performance, undone by individual error when they appeared to be in little danger to gift Anthony Elanga Forest’s winner, and a lack of composure and correct decision-making especially in the final third.

The spotlight shined brightest on misfiring forward Nicolas Jackson, reviving the question of how, after their well-documented £1billion spend over three transfer windows, Chelsea are still short of a proven and guaranteed goalscorer.

Mauricio Pochettino holds his head in his hands after Chelsea were beaten by Nottingham Forest in another setback for the big-spending Blues

Nicolas Jackson’s (right) struggles upfront highlighted Chelsea’s problems against Forest

Jackson (left) missed a golden chance to pull Chelsea level near the end of the match

In the absence of that player, the burden has been on Jackson, who was guilty of missing Chelsea’s biggest chance, somehow lifting the ball over an open net from inside the six-yard box.

The 22-year-old signed from Villarreal in the summer, has plenty going for him.

The amount of work he gets through, for starters, means he always adds value to Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

This, though, was already not his day in front of goal before his late miss. His first touch had previously cost him a couple of chances.

He had also been booked for brandishing an imaginary yellow card and risked further potential punishment by going to ground easily.

As Pochettino began turning to his bench to try to impact the game, Jackson might have been a natural candidate to withdraw if he had alternatives.

But the Argentine’s lack of options up top meant Jackson had to stay on, his day eventually capped by his horror miss.

Armando Broja is nearing a return but, for all his promise, would not yet be considered proven. He is also returning from a serious knee injury.

Former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga (left) scored the game’s only goal

Forest boss Steve Copper (right) was delighted with his side’s performance at Stamford Bridge

In this context, the loss of another knee injury victim and France international Christopher Nkunku is amplified, too — even if he is not an out-and-out No 9.

Pochettino said: ‘When you lose a game, the things that are negative appear. When we won against Luton no one talked about this. We have a very young squad. We need to prove we can score and deal with the situation.

‘He (Jackson) needs to adapt to the Premier League. He is doing a fantastic job but afterwards, to score is not easy.

‘Sometimes he is a little bit rushed in his decisions but this is only to say he needs to settle himself, be more calm, relaxed. For sure, he is going to score goals.

Read Related Also: Manchester United star Antony hit with fresh allegations of violent behaviour from two women in Brazil after being accused of assaulting ex-girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin

‘In the future we will talk in a different way because he is going to score this type of chance.’

In part because he didn’t, Chelsea were booed off and the downbeat full-time scene looked more like one from the end of a season than just four games into the new campaign.

Pochettino’s problems continued at Chelsea as the Blues suffered a second defeat of the season

Some Chelsea players slumped to the ground crestfallen while others stood dead still in the centre circle hands on hips, staring into the distance.

After the final whistle, co-owner Behdad Eghbali and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart strode across the pitch to the Chelsea dressing room stern-faced.

They and Pochettino head into the international break with plenty to ponder, though the Chelsea head coach will only have a handful of players to work with.

In contrast, Forest go bouncing into the break. They finished bottom of the Premier League away table last season.

They won just once all year but have matched that total already after combining brilliant defending with set-piece and counter-attacking threat, the latter leading to Elanga’s goal.

And with more quality to add to the mix following seven deadline day signings, manager Steve Cooper is excited about developing his Forest side this season.

He said: ‘I talked about staying in the league last season giving us an opportunity to grow every part of the club but, from my point of view, the level of the team, strength in depth but also how we play and the style.

‘Results like today really help that process. We’ve really got to hone in on that now and use it to our advantage.’

Chelsea’s lack of a proven goalscorer continues to weigh heavy on the Blues this season

Pochettino asked for ‘patience’ after the full time whistle at Stamford Bridge