It was another frustrating day to be a Chelsea fan as Liam Rosenior’s side went toe to toe with Arsenal, only to be undone by set-pieces again. Trevoh Chalobah was not impressed.
Goals from William Saliba and Piero Hincapie proved too much for Chelsea, with both goals coming from set-pieces. Reece James’ brilliant delivery saw Chelsea score one of their own, but it wasn’t enough.
The same problems cost Chelsea again. Defending from set-pieces, crossing, and another red card. That is Chelsea’s seventh in the Premier League, just two off a record, and 10 in total, in both league and cup.
Who deserves the blame for Liam Rosenior’s first Premier League defeat?
Rosenior? Pedro Neto? Robert Sanchez?
Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
But there was another issue, and it seemed to be a lack of concentration. Liam Rosenior had his head in his hands when Robert Sanchez almost lost the ball on the edge of his box, and Chalobah wasn’t happy.
Trevoh Chalobah fuming with Chelsea teammate Robert Sanchez
Just 17 minutes into the game, Sanchez had possession but a heavy touch – due to a lack of focus and perhaps, some hesitancy – saw the Spanish goalkeeper almost surrender possession to Viktor Gyokeres.
Chelsea v Arsenal - Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Chalobah himself had done it moments beforehand, losing the ball deep in Chelsea territory. Sanchez dallied and had to correct his error with a last-ditch tackle on Eberechi Eze. He certainly got away with it.
According to Football London, Chalobah didn’t hide his anger at his £25m teammate Sanchez, clearly frustrated that Chelsea were making so many mistakes in their own third against the league’s best side.
If Rosenior didn’t think it, he absolutely has to be now
Sanchez has arguably enjoyed his best season at Chelsea. The former Brighton star has really improved between the sticks, especially in terms of his shot-stopping but also with the ball at his feet.
Who would you prefer – Roefs or Verbruggen?
Both are rated at £50m.
But Sanchez is capable of a clanger. He was guilty of two in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals and on Sunday, he almost lost the ball and was far too weak for Arsenal’s second goal of the afternoon.
If Rosenior was unsure about Chelsea signing a new goalkeeper this summer, then that opinion will have changed now. Rosenior simply has to request a big-name shot-stopper to replace Sanchez this summer.
At the moment, Chelsea have been linked with £50m-rated Premier League duo Bart Verbruggen and Robin Roefs. Whether they are the answer remains to be seen, but it is an issue that needs to be sorted.
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