LIAM ROSENIOR FACING FIRST REAL CRISIS SINCE TAKING OVER AT STAMFORD BRIDGE
Chelsea fans boo the team after a third home game without victory, as Champions League qualification hopes begin to fade.
Chelsea started life under Liam Rosenior on fire, winning seven out of their first nine games. The only team to stop them in that stretch was Arsenal, and that was just in a couple of EFL Cup matches. Everything looked smooth at the start.
But things are getting a bit rocky now. Two frustrating home draws against Burnley and Leeds knocked the wind out of their sails, and the real trouble hit with that midweek collapse at Paris Saint-Germain. Now, after a deserved home loss to Newcastle, not only are their Champions League hopes in danger, but a top-four finish is slipping out of reach. That honeymoon phase under Rosenior? It’s done.
Newcastle came to Stamford Bridge with a lot less on the line. They're floating in the middle of the Premier League table, and their Champions League hopes stay alive after drawing 1-1 with Barcelona in the first leg. With the second legs coming up this week, it’s almost understandable that Eddie Howe decided to mix things up, making five changes from the Manchester United game.
He threw in Joe Willock, Jacob Ramsey, and Nick Woltemade in the middle – a midfield trio you don’t see too often.
But rotation or not, Newcastle played with real purpose. They looked more comfortable and sharper than Chelsea, took control of the match, and fully earned their win.
The opener came early, just 18 minutes in, and it was a real team effort: ten Newcastle players touched the ball in the move before Tino Livramento broke through the middle, set up Willock, who drew in the defender and then squared it to Anthony Gordon for a simple tap-in, cool, clinical stuff.
That put Gordon up to nine goals in all competitions in 2026, with only João Pedro scoring more (he has 11) among players at Premier League clubs.
For Newcastle, going ahead at Stamford Bridge felt special. Before this match, they’d lost 11 out of their previous 12 league games at this stadium. But Gordon scoring first away from home hasn’t always been a good omen; he’d done it four times before in the Premier League but never ended up on the winning side (three draws and a loss).
Chelsea fans let the team know how they felt at halftime. The boos weren’t exactly subtle, which says a lot about how far off their best Chelsea was.
Rosenior shuffled things after the break, trying to kick-start some life into his team. Chelsea improved, no doubt. Liam Delap, who came on as a sub, almost scored. Alejandro Garnacho caused real trouble, and Reece James rattled the post with a late free kick.
But Newcastle held firm and saw the game out, grabbing only their second ever Premier League win at Stamford Bridge (their first was in May 2012). Those three points move them up to the top half of the table suddenly; they’re six points behind Chelsea in fifth. If Newcastle stay focused, there’s still hope for another memorable European push.
Chelsea has to turn this around, fast. They haven’t won any of their last three league games at home, something that hasn’t happened since that ugly five-match run back in late 2023. If Rosenior wants to keep the momentum he started with, Chelsea needs to stop the slide and put wins back on the board.
A few final facts from the match:
- Chelsea have now gone three home league games without a win for the first time since autumn 2023.
- Aaron Ramsdale set a quirky record. He’s now won at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League with three different teams: Newcastle, Arsenal, and Bournemouth.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
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.
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