Chelsea have been eliminated from the EFL Cup in the semi-finals after a 4-2 defeat on aggregate to Arsenal.
After a 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge, Liam Rosenior embarked on a bold strategy to essentially only play to score in the final 30 minutes.
Gary Neville noticed a glaring issue straight away when Liam Delap featured on the right of attack, a position he is clearly not comfortable in.
Is Liam Delap not good enough for Chelsea or are we not playing to his strengths?🤔
Liam Delap's display vs Arsenal
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
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Chelsea only brought Estevao Willian and Cole Palmer on with half an hour to go, and their plan worked for a long period of time as they stayed in the game throughout the second leg.
Arsenal v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Declan Rice praises ‘incredible’ Chelsea despite EFL Cup semi-final defeat
It was Arsenal who came out on top though. Kai Havertz’s breakaway goal in the final seconds helped book their place at Wembley next month.
There were plenty of positives to take from the performance for Rosenior, and Declan Rice was full of praise for their display, as well as how they have been since the new manager took over.
He said to ITV Football: “Credit to Chelsea to be fair. Since their new manager has come in they’ve been really, really good.
“They changed the formation tonight and gave us problems. On another night they could have scored but credit where it is due, our defence was incredible.”
The Chelsea midfield did a number on Arsenal’s for the majority of the game. Andrey Santos in particular impressed before he was subbed off in the second half.
Arsenal v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Rosenior will regret EFL Cup semi-final decisions
Eyebrows were immediately raised when Rosenior named his Chelsea side, as the likes of Reece James and Pedro Neto both missing from the squad completely.
IN THE BLUE CORNER…
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Arsenal’s recent form suggests that they were there for the taking, and there will be regrets over the fact they waited so long to make a real go of things.
Neville was stunned Chelsea were holding Palmer back for the second half, and ultimately was proven right when it came to what they managed to do when he was on the pitch.
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