ANALYSIS: ROSENIOR’S TACTICAL MASTERCLASS AS FIVE-STAR CHELSEA DISMANTLE CHARLTON IN FA CUP
From Jorrel Hato’s opener to tactical shifts, we analyse how Liam Rosenior ended Chelsea’s winless run in style at The Valley.
Liam Rosenior couldn’t have asked for a better start as Chelsea’s new manager. The Blues hammered Charlton 5-1 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, and Rosenior left the pitch with a grin.
Jorrel Hato got his first Chelsea goal just before halftime at The Valley, and then Tosin Adarabioyo doubled the lead not long after the break. Charlton’s Miles Leaburn pulled one back, but Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto, and Enzo Fernandez all found the net to seal a comfortable debut win for Rosenior. Charlton, by the way, sits 19th in the Championship.
Rosenior just arrived from Strasbourg, taking over after Enzo Maresca’s abrupt exit last week. He promised he’d “hit the ground running”, and snapping Chelsea’s five-game winless streak was a good way to keep that promise.
Things get much tougher on Wednesday, though, when Premier League leaders Arsenal come to Stamford Bridge for the League Cup semi-final first leg. That’ll be Rosenior’s first home game in charge.
Some folks have questioned if Rosenior’s just the board’s chosen ‘yes-man’—especially after Maresca’s stormy time at the club. The fact that Chelsea and Strasbourg share the same owners only fuelled that talk. People wonder if Rosenior is more open to listening to the higher-ups than Maresca ever was.
Watching Rosenior on the touchline—bookish glasses, polo neck, notebook in hand—he kind of looked like a young college lecturer, not your typical Premier League manager. But looks can fool you. He’s got real coaching chops, having guided Strasbourg to seventh in France last season, which turned a few heads.
He watched Chelsea’s 2-1 loss at Fulham from the stands on Wednesday while caretaker boss Calum McFarlane ran things.
For his Chelsea debut, Rosenior asked for patience, saying he wanted to prove he deserved the job. He made eight changes to the starting lineup and left out Cole Palmer, the England forward and one of the team’s stars. Bold move for your first game.
Rosenior stuck with the three-man defence he liked at Strasbourg. Early on, it worked. Hato’s looping header forced a save from Charlton’s Will Mannion, who was busy again minutes later, this time blocking Jamie Gittens’ shot. Josh Acheampong also tested Mannion from a distance. Still, Chelsea fans sounded a bit sceptical, chanting for Roman Abramovich and urging Rosenior to “attack, attack, attack” after the dull days under Maresca.
They didn’t have to wait long. Hato smashed in a half-volley during first-half stoppage time, picking out the top corner. Not bad for a teenager. Rosenior gave him a big thumbs-up.
Chelsea really took control after Adarabioyo’s thumping header off Facundo Buonanotte’s free kick made it 2-0 in the 50th minute. Charlton’s Leaburn—who actually came up through Chelsea’s academy—cut the gap seven minutes later after Filip Jorgensen’s save landed right at his feet.
But Guiu calmed any nerves, rifling in Chelsea’s third from 10 yards out just after the hour mark. Rosenior had to like the way his team kept pressing.
Neto pounced for a fourth goal in the 91st minute, and Fernandez wrapped it all up with a penalty in stoppage time after Estevao Willian drew a foul.
All in all, a dream debut for Rosenior. Arsenal’s up next—now we’ll really see what he’s made of.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
JESSE DERRY MAKES FIRST CHELSEA START AS MCFARLANE SHUFFLES THE TACTICAL DECK
Chelsea stars Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto miss the Forest clash with knocks, handing 18-year-old Jesse Derry a shock start.
Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto both picked up knocks before Chelsea’s match against Nottingham StadiumNest has learnt. They’d started in last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final, but both missed out on the squad at Stamford Bridge this time.
Calum McFarlane spoke to Sky Sports before kickoff and explained what happened. “It’s nothing serious, just knocks in training. We’re just managing it,” he said.
With them out, Jesse Derry and Cole Palmer came into the starting lineup. Derry, just 18 and only recently breaking into the Chelsea first team, now had a big chance. McFarlane spoke highly of him: “It’s a great opportunity for Jesse. He’s been training with us a lot, he’s played in other games, and we know what he can do. I’ve worked with him before. The lads trust him, and so do I. He’s been excellent in training. We’re really excited for him.”
On Friday at Cobham, Chelsea’s interim boss said the win at Wembley lifted everyone’s mood. “When things aren’t going well, it’s tough. You're not getting the results you want, and it weighs on you. But a single win can turn all that around. The atmosphere has been good, the lads are training well, and the staff feel it too. The energy’s back at Cobham, so we want to keep that going.”
Now, at 38, McFarlane takes charge for the first time at Stamford Bridge. “I’m really looking forward to it. Forest is a strong side, and it’ll be tough, but it’s an honour to lead the team here. I’ve been part of the backroom staff before, but this is something different. Leading the side in front of the home fans? That’s special. I hope we can put in a performance as we did at Wembley.”
He knows the crowd has a big part to play. “We need the fans behind us, bringing energy and really backing the team. There’s still so much to play for; the cup final’s coming, and Champions League qualification is up for grabs. We want to win every game left. Two more at the Bridge, right? We want to make them count, so we need everyone pulling together.”
Chelsea fell behind in the race for the Champions League under Liam Rosenior, dropping 10 points off the pace. Is top-four still possible? McFarlane kept it simple: “All we can do is win our games and not worry about the rest. If we focus on our own performance, the results will take care of themselves. It’s about each match, each day, each session.”
Forest, fresh off a 1-0 first-leg win over Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-finals, is no easy opponent. McFarlane knows that. “They’re in really good form, packed with quality and real threats. So, it’s another huge challenge, just like every Premier League game. But we’ll be ready.”
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