The Blues welcomed Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening knowing they were just three games from a trophy.
But after losing this Carabao Cup semi-final first leg 3-2, Rosenior’s chances of silverware have dimmed. But Alejandro Garnacho means they are not extinguished.
Chelsea have left themselves plenty to do in the second leg at the Emirates on February 3 if they are to reach March’s final at Wembley, but they have something to fight for.
Liam Rosenior
REUTERS
Rosenior’s testing first test
A trip to Charlton, 19th in the Championship, had been a kind enough first task for Rosenior as head coach, but the visit of the best team in the land was always going to be his first proper test in the new job.
Chelsea had plenty of players missing, with the three doubts coming into the game — Reece James, Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto — all failing late fitness tests. And illness to Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap further hampered the Blues’ preparation for such a high-profile game.
Rosenior started Marc Guiu, Josh Acheampong and Andrey Santos, but the rest of his team were experienced generals. They did not give him the start he would have wanted.
Arsenal were so intense, full-throttle, and were largely excellent. An early lead from Ben White was doubled early in the second half by Viktor Gyokeres, helped in large part on both occasions by goalkeeping blunders by Robert Sanchez. Martin Zubimendi’s third was sublime, and Mikel Merino should have scored a fourth.
Alejandro Garnacho’s late rally, however welcome, came too late to change the result of a game that will have taught their inexperienced new head coach plenty about how to control the big moments of these nip-and-tuck matches.
Alejandro Garnacho
REUTERS
Garnacho leads fight-back
Chelsea had been dangerously sloppy when playing out from the back in the first half, and they were fortunate to go in only 1-0 down. Soon, though, it was 2-0. They needed some inspiration.
Garnacho has produced some rather insipid displays off the bench of late, so Chelsea fans at the Bridge could be forgiven for not feeling confident when they saw him readying himself to come on. They were proven wrong.
First, he collected Pedro Neto’s cross, as it sailed over Enzo Fernandez’s head. One touch to control, another to slam inside Kepa’s near post.
Then, after Zubimendi had restored Arsenal’s two-goal lead, Garnacho duly halved it once more, this time volleying down and into the ground after Arsenal had half-cleared a corner.
Garnacho and Rosenior allowed themselves a mute celebration each, and who could blame them? It was a goal that galvanised Chelsea and set them up for an energetic, big-finish, led by Neto, Estevao and two-goal Garnacho.
It wasn’t quite enough, and the equaliser never came.
Chelsea will know how valuable that elusive third goal would have been, because heading into the second leg at the Emirates just one goal down in the tie against the best team in the land is not an enviable position to be in, with silverware on the line.
But while Chelsea were sloppy at moments, wasteful at others, it could not be said of them that their effort was lacking. Rosenior got a response from his team.
They should have Moises Caicedo (suspended here), James, Palmer and Gusto all back for that game, all being well, and both Delap and Gittens, too.
There is a semblance of hope for Chelsea, even if they were deservedly beaten by the better team on the night.
It’s going to take some performance to turn this around and reach Wembley at Arsenal’s expense, but Chelsea must believe they can do it.
