Liam Rosenior praised Alejandro Garnacho’s impact after the winger played a key role in Chelsea’s 4-2 extra-time victory over Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round.
The Blues were pushed all the way by the Championship side at the Racecourse Ground, with the match level at 2-2 after 90 minutes. Garnacho and Joao Pedro both struck in extra-time to send Chelsea through to the quarter-finals.
Garnacho’s energy across the full 120 minutes stood out in particular, especially given the workload he has carried recently.
“I feel he's in a good place,” Rosenior said.
“Ale is in a great place. His goals, his energy levels for 120 minutes were magnificent, considering he played a full 90 on Wednesday.
“He's in a really good place, and it's really, really good to see his form at this really important stage of the season.”
Garnacho himself described the tie as one of the toughest Chelsea have faced this campaign, something Rosenior was quick to agree with following the dramatic cup encounter.
“I agree,” he said. "That's every reason why the FA Cup is what it is.
“I think they were magnificent. Magnificent in their energy, and how brave they were in the press, and how they played.
“Then we had to be at a high, high level. We were pushed all the way by a very good team.”
Chelsea ultimately found the breakthrough during extra-time, with Garnacho’s influence once again proving decisive as the Blues progressed to the last eight of the competition.
His finish on the volley past Okonkwo into near corner put Rosenior's side in the lead from the 96th minute.
The Argentine remains to be divided amongst the fanbase this season, with sections of the fanbase continuing to hold concerns over his end product.
However, his last two performances will only improve his confidence moving forward as he aims to prove doubters wrong.