Chelsea captain Enzo Fernandez went to face the furious away fans after the 3-0 defeat by Brighton on Tuesday night, but his actions did not go down well on a bruising night for the club
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea looks dejected
Enzo Fernandez's actions summed up Chelsea's situation(Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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After a fifth straight Premier League defeat without scoring, Chelsea captain Enzo Fernandez stood with his hands on his hips staring blankly at the furious away fans who had stayed behind to say their piece.
The man who earlier this month was dropped by his manager for flirting with another club made a conscious effort to face the anger. Chelsea were thrashed 3-0 by Brighton on Tuesday night as their rotten form saw them drop to seventh in the Premier League, dreams of a return to the Champions League all but gone.
The exterior focus is on Liam Rosenior, who signed a five-and-a-half-year contract in January but already appears to be swimming against an unstoppable tide. But it was Fernandez, the £106million midfielder, whose behaviour summed up their current plight, one which has seen their season unravel in spectacular fashion in the blink of an eye.
Much of the away end had emptied before Danny Welbeck rubbed salt into the gaping wounds with a 91st-minute goal. But those who had stayed did so for a reason.
"BlueCo out. We want our Chelsea back," read one of the banners being held up by a visibly furious supporter. Protests have been focused on the club's hapless owners, but after the full-time whistle, it was the players who were there in front of them.
As the Sky Sports cameras zoomed in, they captured Marc Cucurella - who just last month launched an attack on the club in an interview - staring blankly into space. As it panned around we saw Alejandro Garnacho, Moises Caicedo and Jorrel Hato with misery etched onto their faces.
"The Chelsea fans will be thinking: these players, they chucked it," Chris Sutton said on co-commentary at that moment just as Fernandez appeared on screen.
Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez stood in front of the furious away fans(Image: Sky Sports)
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The Chelsea captain had taken a position ahead of his team-mates, as if he was keen to show leadership in a performative way. As the insults rained down from a few metres away, the Argentina international was seen shrugging his shoulders - an action which is sure to go down extremely badly.
He was then seen spitting and wiping his face with his shirt before making a conscious effort of readjusting his captain's armband - the one he had only regained that game - as he turned around and walked off, long after his team-mates had already disappeared back into the dressing room.
What was said in those four walls in likely to have been explosive, given Rosenior's comments to the media. "I can't keep coming out here defending some of the things that we're seeing," the Chelsea manager said.
Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea reacts
Enzo Fernandez was seen shrugging at the Chelsea fans(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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"The general attitude, spirit, was lacking. The determination [was there] from three or four of the starting eleven. That's nowhere near enough for this club. I can't come out and lie. I'll tell the truth. That was an unacceptable performance in every area."
"That doesn't represent anything that I want to see, and I won't ever see it again. The performance in terms of professionalism wasn't there. Some of the things I witnessed today, I never, ever want to ever see again."
As the vultures circle, Fernandez's forlorn behaviour in front of the away end at Brighton could become a lasting image of Rosenior's short-lived spell in charge.
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