LONDON — Liam Rosenior has asked Chelsea fans to direct their frustration at him for the mistakes made by Robert Sánchez, which contributed to Arsenal securing a 3-2 win in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Sánchez struggled to handle a corner in the seventh minute, allowing Ben White to score with a close-range header, giving Arsenal an early lead. Four minutes after half-time, Sánchez’s errors continued, leading to Viktor Gyökeres extending the visitors’ advantage.
Chelsea fought back, reducing the deficit with a clinical finish from Alejandro Garnacho in the 57th minute. However, Martín Zubimendi added Arsenal’s third with a stunning finish in the 71st minute.
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Garnacho scored again seven minutes from the end, keeping Chelsea’s hopes alive. Nonetheless, they face a challenging task to advance to the final, with the second leg set for February 3 at Emirates Stadium.
The situation has been complicated by Sánchez’s errors, and he faced criticism from some Chelsea supporters for his mistakes while attempting to play out from the back against Arsenal’s relentless pressing.
Rosenior, who was making his home debut as head coach after taking over from Enzo Maresca last week, stated: “The first goal was disappointing. It’s a team effort, and it’s not solely Rob [Sánchez].
“I’m assigning Rob tasks he’s not accustomed to. I’ve made it clear to him that when my players make mistakes, that accountability rests with me. He made a phenomenal save in the second half that could have changed the game for us.
“He’s had a commendable season, and there have been numerous positive moments. I choose to remain optimistic about him, as I do with the entire squad. My role is to support them, not to assign blame.”
Rosenior also indicated that Chelsea dealt with a sickness bug leading up to the match, which kept Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens out due to “dangerously high temperatures.”
Cole Palmer and Reece James, who also missed the game against Arsenal, are expected to return for Chelsea’s Premier League match against Brentford on Saturday.
“Cole wasn’t fit for this match,” Rosenior explained. “We’re hopeful he can train on Friday and be ready for Saturday. He had a minor thigh strain, and if rushed back too soon, it could sideline him for six weeks. I can’t afford to lose Cole for that long because he’s an essential player for us. Reece had a significant hip injury that needed rest for today’s match, but I’m optimistic he’ll be back for Saturday.
“Jamie Gittens fell ill just before the match, and Liam Delap couldn’t play due to his illness that struck just hours before kickoff. Additionally, Moisés Caicedo was suspended, and Malo Gusto was unavailable. Nevertheless, there were positive aspects from our performance today.
“I prefer to keep the unwell players isolated from the rest of the group to prevent further spread of illness. I felt that the energy levels from my players today were remarkably encouraging.”