Chelsea were beaten 2-1 away at Fulham on Wednesday evening with Liam Rosenior in attendance at Craven Cottage as the new head coach takes notes on the squad he has inherited
07:00, 08 Jan 2026
Liam Rosenior
View Image
Liam Rosenior prior to Chelsea's defeat against Fulham(Image: Vince Mignott/MB Media)
Wednesday evening would undoubtedly have had some uncomfortable moments for new Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior. The 41-year-old, who just over 24 hours before was confirmed as the club's new head coach, was watching from the stands as his side, led by interim boss Calum McFarlane for the second and final time, slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The supporters that made the short trip to their west London rivals turned on Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea's co-controlling owner. As chance would have it, Rosenior was sat next to Eghbali. Chants of "F*** off Eghbali" could be heard from the away end as various points in the second-half of the Blues' defeat, while there were also some words for Clearlake Capital from those that made the short journey.
Rosenior would have tried to keep his attention on the football. Whenever the camera cut to the newly-appointed head coach, it was clear to see the sort of passion we will see when he takes to the touchline for the first time on Saturday night against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round.
That will be a day he is very much looking forward to, but there will be a few things he has already jotted down about the squad he has inherited. Marc Cucurella's 22nd-minute red card on Wednesday evening was the latest in a string of ill-disciplined decisions from Chelsea’s point of view this season. Their seventh sending off this season in all competitions - their fifth in the Premier League, more than twice as much as any other team in the competition.
McFarlane, speaking post-match, did not seem too concerned. He believed it was something that "happens" in football and it was not down to a discipline problem. The reality is, though, that has happened three times from a Chelsea player this season.
Back in September, Robert Sanchez was shown a straight red card for taking out Bryan Mbeumo and denying a goal-scoring opportunity in Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester United. Later in the same month, Trevoh Chalobah did something similar in the loss to Brighton. Here we are, over three months on from Chalobah's red, and Cucurella was the latest to be sent off for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
It will be interesting to see if Rosenior addresses the reaction from the players on the pitch after Cucurella was sent off. Enzo Fernandez, Tosin Adarabioyo and Cole Palmer were all booked for dissent. Chelsea crowded the referee, clearly disagreeing with his decision, in a passionate response. Passion is imperative in football, but you cannot help feel that Chelsea need to channel it in a better way.
With the visitors having a man less for the majority of the match at Craven Cottage, it was always going to be a tough ask for them to come away with anything. They got themselves into some dangerous attacking situations but their decision-making was poor. This is not the first time over the last month or so this can be labelled at Chelsea.
Palmer, the man the Blues so often turn to when they need a moment of inspiration, looks way off it at the moment. Since returning from a groin - and then a toe - injury, the 23-year-old has featured eight times in all competitions. He has scored twice in that time and while goals are not the be-all and end-all for an attacker, his performances have been subpar to say the least.
There are always moments in games when you are reminded of his almost-freakish dribbling ability, and that was the case in the second-half of the defeat to Fulham where he forced a save from Bernd Leno, but more often than not, it has been difficult for Chelsea to get their No.10 in the game. Supporters were excited when he started on the right wing on Wednesday, with some believing that is where we have seen the best of Palmer in a Chelsea shirt, but the game passed the England international by.
For Rosenior, there are many bullet points on his to-do list. Towards the top should be finding a way to break the real Palmer from his shell. Chelsea’s problems on the pitch are more complex than just getting Palmer firing again, but it would certainly help.
It seems highly unlikely Palmer will play any part on Saturday at Charlton, especially with a Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg against Arsenal next week. Perhaps a bit of rest, coupled with some work on the training ground with Rosenior, will benefit Palmer.
Article continues below
Elsewhere, there is a slight injury scare for the Blues. Malo Gusto left Craven Cottage limping heavily on Wednesday evening. The France international played 76 minutes for the Blues before Josh Acheampong replaced him. Whether it was a bit of cramp, or an injury he suffered, remains to be seen.
Plenty of points of reflection for Rosenior and little time for the head coach to prepare for his debut in the Chelsea dugout.