Chelsea have fallen at the penultimate hurdle of the Carabao Cup, unable to breach Arsenal's defences in the semi-final at the Emirates.
Kai Havertz struck in the dying embers as Chelsea pushed for the one goal that would have levelled the playing field, but in truth, Chelsea struggled to manufacture openings against their London rivals.
Liam Rosenior has enjoyed a strong start to life at the Stamford Bridge helm, winning three from three in the Premier League.
But his Blues left much to be desired against Arsenal, with their pragmatism falling short and ending their hopes of progressing to Wembley for a shot at the title.
What went wrong at the Emirates for Chelsea
In short, Chelsea were too passive against the Premier League leaders, entering the Emirates a goal behind but lacking the intensity and forward focus to ruffle Arsenal's feathers.
To throw Hail Mary at Mikel Arteta's steel-clad defence from the get-go would have been foolish, and you could see what Rosenior was trying to do with his men, but hindsight tells us that Chelsea did not push hard enough against a side who were only one goal in front from the opening whistle.
Sofascore data tells us that Chelsea created only one big chance all game, taking 14 shots all told but rarely threatening to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga and restore parity.
A big chance is defined by any opportunity with an xG value greater than 0.38.
There were several strong performances from the men in blue. Marc Cucurella was typically secure in defence, nullifying the electric Noni Madueke. Joao Pedro was also lively, working industriously and with intelligence too.
Joao Pedro for Chelsea
However, playmakers Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer both flattered to deceive, symptomatic of the side's wider creative struggles.
They weren't the only forwards who will have headed home frustrated, though.
Rosenior must drop 4/10 Chelsea man
Described as a "loose cannon" by journalist Dan Bardell, Liam Delap struggled to impress against Arsenal, though he may feel somewhat aggrieved after being quirkily fielded down the right channel by Rosenior.
The 22-year-old did, in fairness, see plenty of the ball, taking 28 touches and tussling with Piero Hincapie. But Hincapie marshalled him well, drawing a number of fouls and playing a central role in keeping a clean sheet for the hosts.
Liam Delap in action for Chelsea
After a wasteful display against West Ham United at the weekend, Delap was ineffective once more, indeed deployed this time in a more right-leaning role, ostensibly to bypass the imperious duo of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.
Rosenior needs to take much of the blame. After all, it was his decision to field Delap on the wing. An interesting ruse, but one which did not pay off in the end. Surely Estevao or Palmer could have enjoyed a greater impact from the start, with Delap perhaps deployed centrally to rattle Arsenal's central defence.
Liam Delap vs Arsenal
Match Stats
Minutes played
Goals
Assists
Touches
Shots (on target)
Accurate passes
Chances created
Crosses
Possession lost
Dribbles
Tackles won
Duels won
Data via Sofascore
Delap ended up losing the ball every 2.8 touches and had 23 fewer touches than Robert Sanchez. Ultimately, he offered very little by way of attacking input and creating scant too. He used his physicality well against Hincapie and co, but it wasn't enough to draw praise in his moonlit role on the wing.
One analytical writer even called the English forward a "rugby player who thinks he can play all sports." Harsh, but an illustration of the confusing decision to field such a pragmatic line-up from the head coach.
Football.london appeared to echo such criticism, branding Delap with a 4/10 match rating and writing that he was ineffective against the Gunners, also drawing attention to a blundered half-chance inside the opening minutes.
liam-delap-chelsea
Pedro's recent goalscoring form and hold-up play on Tuesday evening, especially during the first half, confirm that he has to reprise his role at centre-forward over the coming weeks.
Delap, sadly, needs to be dropped, certainly ending that right-sided experiment that contributed to a passive attacking display from Chelsea.
gary-neville Related
[Chelsea 3-2 West Ham: Gary Neville stunned by "De-Bruyne-like" star](https://www.footballfancast.com/chelsea-west-ham-gary-neville-stunned-de-bruyne-like-star-wesley-fofana/ "Chelsea 3-2 West Ham: Gary Neville stunned by "De-Bruyne-like" star")
The Blues came from behind to secure an excellent victory.