Chelsea cruised to a 5-1 win over Charlton at the Valley in the FA Cup.
New manager Liam Rosenior rotated the bulk of his side, but the solid platform of a Moises Caicedo – Andrey Santos midfield gave them total control.
Jorrel Hato played in an attacking midfield role as part of a switched up 3-2-2-3 formation used by Rosenior. He was surprisingly proficient, and did his defensive duties too.
Hato got the reward for his work in the pocket when he scored the opening goal in first time stoppage time, a [brilliant volley of a dropping ball.](https://chelsea.news/2026/01/hato-screamer-volley-chelsea-charlton-video/) That took the air out of Charlton just before half time.
The game then drifted in Chelsea’s favour. Tosin scored from a set piece after half time, and while Charlton did grab a goal back, it never felt like they were really in it. Chelsea finally got a cushion back when Marc Guiu fired in a rebound from close range. Two extra time goals for the Blues put a cherry on top of a pleasant first day in the job for Rosenior.
**MOTM – Tosin Adarabioyo**
Analysis
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A generic group of Chelsea player celebrate. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
We weren’t sure how Chelsea would line up, but it seems there was a tweak of formation on the ball.
The back line had Josh Acheampong not as a right back but as a right centre back. Benoit Badiashile played on the left of a back three with Tosin centrally. Ahead of them it was a “box” midfield with Andrey Santos and Moises Caicedo deeper, and Facundo Buonanotte and Jorrel Hato (bizarrely) the more attacking two.
Jamie Gittens was wide right, Alejandro Garnacho wide left, and Marc Guiu leading the line. It will be very interesting to see if this setup is used with the full first team in action.
The most notable players of the first half were Gittens’ impact down the right win, and Buonannotte’s work between the lines. They were by far the most creative players for the Blues, while Caicedo comfortably controlled the midfield.
Teams
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**Charlton**
Will Mannion
Keenan Gough
Lloyd Jones
Amari’i Bell
Conor Coventry
James Bree
Sonny Carey
Greg Docherty
Tyreece Campbell
Miles Leaburn
Charlie Kelman
_Substitutes_
Ashley Maynard-Brewer
Macaulay Gillesphey (s 66′)
Karoy Anderson (s 66′)
Joe Rankin-Costello (s 67′)
Luke Berry
Harvey Knibbs (s 82′)
Robert Apter
Ibrahim Fullah
Isaac Olaofe (s 74′)
**Chelsea**
Filip Jorgensen
Josh Acheampong
Tosin Adarabioyo
Benoit Badiashile
Jorrel Hato
Moises Caicedo
Andrey Santos
Jamie Gittens
Facundo Buonanotte
Alejandro Garnacho
Marc Guiu
_Substitutes_
Robert Sanchez
Wesley Fofana (s 85′)
Trevoh Chalobah
Dario Essugo
Enzo Fernandez (s 69′)
Lomba Pedro Neto (s 85′)
de Oliveira Estevao (s 66′)
de Jesus Joao Pedro
Liam Delap (s 69′)
Stats
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Quote of the game
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“All I’m going to focus on at the moment is working as hard as I possibly can to help this team achieve the potential, the unlimited potential that it has. And if you concentrate and focus on your work, hopefully people will see that we’re onto a good thing.” – Rosenior responds to anti-ownership chants.