Chelsea really needed their 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The Blues lost 2-1 to Fulham during the week and have been on a bad run of form in the Premier League. They have won just once in their past nine top-flight matches.
In his first game in charge, Liam Rosenior put out what was a strong team for a cup fixture. Yet the likes of Marc Guiu and Jorrel Hato still got a run out.
Who was your Man of the Match vs Charlton?
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Hato was excellent, scoring Chelsea’s first goal, while Guiu also performed well. After being overlooked by Enzo Maresca, players such as Hato and Guiu probably needed good performances and a positive result more than their other teammates.
Liam Rosenior, Manager of Chelsea, and Jorrel Hato of Chelsea react
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Liam Rosenior says Jorrel Hato has gone up a level
Rosenior was particularly impressed with Hato and not just because of his wonderful strike.
Chelsea’s new head coach has also highlighted the left-back’s defensive contribution and has claimed that he has gone up “another level”.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, which has been covered by football.london, Rosenior said: “He’s 19. I saw him play at Fulham. I was so impressed with him then. He’s taken that form on to another level today. Not just in terms of his goal.
“I felt his defensive attributes were top. His way that he settled the game down in possession, the way he defended one-v-one and still had the energy and speed to get forward to help us into attack.”
Jorrel Hato scores his first Chelsea goal!
Jorrel Hato scores for Chelsea
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
What have you made of Hato’s position under Rosenior? Looks to be featuring heavily in the midfield…
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Hato is one of the brightest prospects to come out of Ajax’s academy in recent years and was signed by Chelsea last summer.
However, he has not been able to make much of an impact at his new club. Maresca handed the 19-year-old just two starts in the Premier League before his exit.
Under Rosenior, though, it looks like Hato could get more opportunities. During the game, Rosenior was heard being positive about Hato’s performance, so he certainly seems to have his new manager onside.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior gives a team talk during the Emirates FA Cup
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Jorrel Hato’s best performance in a Chelsea shirt
Hato looked good playing at centre-back in games against Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion.
In Saturday’s victory over Charlton, the Dutchman started at left-back and did not disappoint. It was easily his best game for Chelsea since joining from Ajax.
To go with his goal, he also made five defensive contributions, including three blocked shots, according to Sofascore.
As Rosenior said, Hato did not score then disappear. He kept his concentration throughout the whole match and limited the threat of Charlton’s attackers.
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