Chelsea made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League under Liam Rosenior after beating Crystal Palace 3-1 at the weekend.
It follows Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Brentford, which was followed by the 1-0 defeat of Pafos in the Champions League.
It would be fair to say, then, that the Blues have managed to find some form under Rosenior after a terrible run towards the end of Enzo Maresca’s tenure.
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However, while Chelsea were able to beat Palace at Selhurst Park, it was not the perfect performance.
Mark Schwarzer is interviewed prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D match between France and Australia
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Mark Schwarzer discusses Chelsea’s lack of control towards end of Crystal Palace victory.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer thinks his old side deserved the three points on Sunday but was not happy with the way they finished the game.
According to the Australian, Rosenior would have been disappointed with how they lost control in the final minutes of the London derby.
Commentating on the game for the BBC, Schwarzer said: “Chelsea were good for the win, they controlled the majority of the game. Liam Rosenior will be disappointed with the way they lost control towards the end of the game with Palace having some good chances and getting their goal, but Chelsea did deserve the win in the end.”
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Four wins out of five for Rosenior!
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The most important thing is that Chelsea were able to win. They really needed the points, especially with Manchester United going on to beat Arsenal hours later.
Michael Carrick’s side are fourth in the Premier League table, sitting just one point above Chelsea.
If United go on to finish above Chelsea and the Blues finish outside the Champions League places, supporters will not be pleased. For now, though, Chelsea fans seem happy with Rosenior, chanting his name after the Palace victory.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
What the stats say about Chelsea’s display against Crystal Palace
As Schwarzer mentioned, while Chelsea did give away some of their control at the end of the Palace match, they were dominant for most of it.
According to Sofascore, their ball possession was 57%, whereas Palace’s was only 43%. Chelsea also had the better chances, recording an xG of 2.20. The home side’s xG was 1.77.
Ultimately, Chelsea deserved their win despite losing their way a bit shortly before the full-time whistle. Next up for Rosenior’s men is Napoli in the Champions League.
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