Liam Rosenior flexed his tactical muscle tissue for the primary time since his appointment as Chelsea supervisor 4 weeks in the past.
Till now, the Englishman had largely continued with predecessor Enzo Maresca’s system, reluctant to overload his gamers with an excessive amount of info too quickly.
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Nonetheless, after profitable six of his first seven video games, together with his opening 4 Premier League matches, Rosenior delivered a shock for his reverse quantity.
For the primary time since March 2024, below Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea lined up with three centre-backs. The system is prone to attraction to supporters, with Thomas Tuchel having used it through the membership’s 2021 Champions League triumph and Antonio Conte adopting it within the 2017 Premier League title win.
Rosenior additionally took a further gamble by leaving three gamers excessive up the pitch to counter-attack when took corners. The strategy gave Arsenal the chance to outnumber Chelsea within the field, however committing the identical variety of gamers ahead would have left them uncovered to breaks.
Arsenal tailored by bringing extra males again to cowl, permitting goalkeeper Robert Sanchez the house to assert crosses – certainly one of his key strengths.
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It was in stark distinction to how Chelsea coped within the first leg, conceding from a nook early on and letting in three targets from set-pieces.
For 45 minutes, Arsenal’s entrance 4 barely touched the ball and Rosenior’s changes paid off. Enzo Fernandez pressured a save simply earlier than half-time in a cagey opening interval.
Chelsea made a double attacking substitution on 59 minutes, with Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian changing Jorrel Hato and Liam Delap, to revive Chelsea to their extra acquainted form. Alejandro Garnacho later joined the fray as one other attacking possibility, approaching for midfielder Andrey Santos.
But Arsenal, so assured defensively this season, largely saved the door shut. They conceded solely a half-chance – Wesley Fofana’s near-post flick from an 82nd‑minute nook – and a handful of lengthy‑vary efforts from the in‑type Fernandez.
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As they pushed for a objective to maintain the tie alive, a well-recognized face in Kai Havertz broke Chelsea’s hearts.
It felt harsh for the Blues to lose on the night time, however even in defeat, Rosenior can take encouragement from a considerably improved show in contrast with the primary leg at Stamford Bridge, the place the tie had successfully slipped away.