The new Chelsea manager, Liam Rosenior, has managed his team to get their first win of the year. The Club World Cup champions faced off against a Championship side, Charlton Athletic, in the FA Cup. The result was pretty comfortable for the Blues, as they were dominant over the Championship side. Liam Rosenior gave Chelsea their long-awaited win as the Blues went on to the next round of the FA Cup. Although Chelsea sealed the win, it came against a much inferior side. It would be interesting to see how the new manager develops the team, which can compete in the big games.
In his pre-match press conference, the Blues boss urged fans to judge him on performances and results and got off to a good start with victory at The Valley. It was going to take a moment of magic to make the breakthrough, and that’s exactly what happened in the fourth minute of first-half injury time. A Moises Caicedo cross was cleared kindly into Jorrel Hato’s path, and his ferocious shot on a tight angle arrowed past the goalkeeper. Chelsea added another five minutes after the break. Facundo Buonanotte sent in a wicked free kick, which Tosin Adarabioyo nodded home. But Charlton were not about to make life easy for Chelsea or Rosenior and halved the deficit soon after, sending the fans into raptures. It came from a corner, with Lloyd Jones’ header rebounding into Miles Leaburn’s path. The Addicks academy graduate then fired home from close range. With the last kick of the game, Fernandez powered his penalty into the back of the net to book Chelsea’s place in Monday’s fourth-round draw. Despite a spirited performance from Charlton, their dismal run in the third round of the competition goes on, now exiting at this stage for a sixth successive season.
Interview of Rosenior after Chelsea vs. Charlton
Rosenior was asked postgame for his thoughts on the anti-ownership chants: “If your fans are happy, it means you’re doing a good job. All I am 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.” If we keep winning, the fans will keep supporting the manager. He also added, “Yeah, I was very happy with the attitude of the team, even in the first half. This is not an easy place to come, the third round of the FA Cup. I felt our press was very intense and really good. I felt we controlled the game and created a couple of chances from outside the box. It was a fantastic finish from Hato. The game opens up in the second half, and I felt some of the passages of play; we know we have outstanding players. I was able to bring on some outstanding players from the bench. But I have to say I was delighted with the starting XI. I was delighted with the front three. I felt Ale [Garnacho] kept going in his one-on-ones.”
Fan’s reaction
The Chelsea fans are excited for the new era, and they are off to a good start. Many fans believe that Liam Rosenior has the potential to change Chelsea’s form and once again make them the giants of Europe. Social media is full of debates over Rosenior’s first win in his debut.
Author’s insight
From the author’s point of view, the Chelsea fans are excited about the Rosenior era. The coach must deliver the wins on a consistent basis to really live up to the expectations.
As featured on Chelseanews.com