Liam Rosenior was impressed with Chelsea’s performance despite their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and has urged the players to move on and focus on their next game.
The Blues, with a 3-2 deficit from the first leg of their EFL Cup semifinal clash, suffered another narrow defeat at the Emirates on Tuesday night as they crashed out of the competition.
Arsenal progressed 4-2 on aggregate to reach their first final in six years and keep their hopes of a quadruple this season alive.
Speaking after the match, Rosenior says he was impressed with how his team performed and is looking forward to the weekend’s clash against Wolves in the Premier League.
“I think everyone can see a difference in our performances. I think you can, I think that’s why you asked me the question. That’s really pleasing”, he said.
“But, obviously, losing the game is not what we wanted. I’ve been in for less than a month. We’ve had eight games in that month. So, for the players, firstly, to put the performances in that they’ve done, to show me the learning and, by the way, the spirit, the togetherness, the fight in the team was there”, Rosenior added.
Chelsea started with a different shape, but could not really trouble the hosts.
Both sides approached the game with caution, leaving space for very little clear cut chances.
However, the Gunners snatched the win at the death when former Chelsea forward Kai Havertz rounded Robert Sanchez and fired into an empty net to spark jubilant scenes among the home crowd.
“There’s a lot of encouraging signs. Now I need to see what we look like after a setback. We need to react positively”, the former Strasbourg manager stated.
“We have a difficult game away in Wolves on Saturday and I need to see what our reaction is to that.”
Arsenal have advanced to the final of the EFL Cup and will now play the winner of the other semifinal clash between Manchester City and Newcastle United, with the former holding a two-goal advantage into the second leg.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
