Chelsea

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So, Tuesday's dismal 3-0 defeat at Brighton was the end for Liam Rosenior at Chelsea, who has been sacked after just 106 days in charge.

It was a fifth successive league loss without scoring - the Blues' worst run for 114 years.

Fans turned on Rosenior at the Amex Stadium, while the head coach publicly criticised his players after the loss.

He departs with Chelsea seventh in the Premier League, five points adrift of a top-five spot and Champions League qualification, with four matches remaining.

So, what's your reaction to the news? Where does the club go from here? And where does the blame lie for Chelsea's struggles?

Let us know here

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

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With Chelsea and Leicester two of this week's biggest losers in the football world, is one of the biggest winners Enzo Maresca?

The Foxes - who Maresca took to promotion to the Premier League in the 2023-24 season - have suffered their second successive relegation to drop into League One, while the Blues had their Champions League qualification hopes all but ended by Tuesday's dismal defeat at Brighton.

When Maresca departed Stamford Bridge on New Year's Day, Chelsea sat fifth in the Premier League less than six months after winning the Club World Cup. A club statement referenced the "key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football" as reasoning for the mutually agreed departure after a breakdown in relationships between Maresca and the club's hierarchy.

Maresca's comments after beating Everton 2-0 in December, saying "many people" had made it his "worst 48 hours" since joining the club were the straw that broke the camel's back, but friction had been brewing in the months before that.

He was planning to publish a book before being blocked, spoke at Il Festival dello Sport - an event in Italy organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper - without the club's permission, and had increasingly avoided wearing club tracksuits - opting instead for his own clothing.

More pertinently from a football perspective, he made public that he disagreed with the club not signing a central defender after Levi Colwill injured his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season. A concern that appears more validated with each passing week.

Losing Maresca has clearly left a void. Marc Cucurella said it's a decision he wouldn't have made, while Enzo Fernandez stated he didn't understand, external why the decision was taken.

Co-owner Behdad Eghbali said last week: "It's not a change we wanted to make. It's a change that had a bit of a negative impact in the season, when you're changing systems and personnel, and it's one we've got to fight our way out of."

Maresca himself has not yet given any public interviews discussing his departure, but posted on social media in early April for the first time since his farewell to Blues fans.

A carousel of family holiday pictures with the caption, 'Enjoying the half term…Time to recharge!' also featured a picture showing stationery and football tactics books - perhaps a hint that he is staying ready for a return to management. The post was liked by players Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill.

Now on a five-game losing run, Chelsea finishing in the Premier League's top half feels like a more realistic objective than the Champions League qualification referenced in the club's statement confirming Maresca's exit.

With fans of both the Blues and the Foxes enjoying themselves far less since his departure, Maresca's reputation may well have been enhanced by him doing nothing at all.

Sami Mokbel & Nizaar Kinsella
Senior football correspondent & football reporter

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Liam Rosenior is becoming a point of frustration, according to multiple figures close to Chelsea players.

The extent of that frustration varies. Some describe him as a friendly character who means well, while others enjoyed working with him at his previous club, Strasbourg, part of the same BlueCo ownership group.

Others, notably several Spanish-speaking players, are understood to have preferred working under Enzo Maresca. That was reflected in interviews given by Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez.

Decisions to rotate goalkeepers and limit minutes for certain players, including Josh Acheampong, who often features briefly from the bench, have caused some discontent.

Perhaps most concerning is the atmosphere within the leadership group. One source inside Chelsea said senior players are often quiet when invited to give their views during near-daily team meetings.

Rosenior is not the only issue at Chelsea. Players are also concerned about the financial consequences of failing to qualify for the Champions League again while on incentive-based contracts.

Others have broader frustrations, having joined a club they believed would challenge for trophies but who are now consistently falling short.

Read more on Rosenior's perilous position

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We asked for your views on Chelsea's managers taking the limelight this season, following Enzo Maresca's "worst 48 hours" outburst and Liam Rosenior's "indefensible performance" criticism.

And we also wanted to know who you feel is to blame for the current issues.

Here are some of your replies:

Eve: BlueCo is the problem at Chelsea, not the players and not Rosenior. They've spent £2bn on a squad with the depth of a bunch of 20-year-olds at the back and a less-than Championship striker. Rosenior never was, and never will be qualified for a club of Chelsea's calibre. We need new ownership otherwise we will be following Leicester City over the next decade.

Martin: The understandable forced sale of the club has ultimately led to disaster. The new owners are clueless, they have wasted huge amounts of money making us objectively worse. I have sympathy for Rosenior, but it is over. Reece James and Levi Cowill aside, I have very little affinity to these players and wouldn't be sorry to see any of them go. We are sleep walking towards becoming Spurs.

James: It's not the manager's fault, it's the players. They are the ones who have gone from winning the Club World Cup to almost being a relegation team. The squad has no experienced players, which has come from buying young players that can be sold on for a profit. It's too much of a business rather than a great sport. The Chelsea board need to decide whether they want a football team or a player factory. The latter is definitely not what the supporters want.

Daren: Under Roman Abramovich, we changed managers ruthlessly but successfully. The Conference League and Club World Cup were false dawns. We lack direction, confidence and spirit.

David: This mess is 100% on the sporting directors. They need to be held to account. Poor recruitment, failure to add one or two senior players to help the young squad through difficult choices, and hiring managers that are completely out of their depth.

Nick: Honestly, at this point I think the blame lies with a mix of all elements - players, ownership, coach and injuries. We gain nothing by changing the manager again, though. He's clearly an intelligent person and he was very successful when given the chance to implement his style and methods at Strasbourg. This team (largely) won the Club World Cup last summer, they are good players.

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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A week ago the writing was already on the wall for Liam Rosenior. Some would say it has been there for a while.

The spiral I wrote about then has only accelerated since the Manchester City game.

A coach who doesn't have the trophies or the playing career to impress players can only rely on their results. If those start to fade, the players stop believing, their performances drop off, the results get worse, and the feedback loop spins faster.

Chelsea fans are well aware of this - they saw the same thing happen with Graham Potter just a few years ago.

The flaws in the BlueCo transfer policy have been pointed out countless times, but the issues with appointing promising young managers are a whole separate issue.

It is all very well trying to find the next big thing, but there is even less room for error for a coach than a player.

A player can be worked into a team slowly, dropped if they don't play well, or even loaned out to find their feet elsewhere. A coach can't be developed at a club which needs results from day one. At the very least, they need the authority to get the players to buy into what they are trying to do.

If your aim is to guarantee qualification for the Champions League, it's better to have players doing their best in a system that is perhaps a little out of touch with the modern game - see Jose Mourinho at Manchester United - than it is to have a coach with bright ideas that nobody respects or listens to.

Most Chelsea fans came to that conclusion years ago after the Potter fiasco.

But it seems, once again, that they are seeing things more clearly than the owners and the sporting structure of their club.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior said his team's performance in their defeat by Brighton was both "indefensible" and "unacceptable", as he faced angry chants from his own supporters for the first time.

The chants began when Chelsea fell 1-0 behind at the Amex Stadium, with the visitors having barely registered an attempt on goal, and they eventually succumbed to a 3-0 defeat.

It was a worrying display and a further dip in performance, given Chelsea did not have a shot on goal until the 40th minute and were error-prone defensively.

This was the Blues' fifth consecutive defeat without scoring - their worst such run since 1912.

"It was unacceptable in every aspect of the game, unacceptable in our attitude," said Rosenior. "I keep coming out and defending the players - that's indefensible, that performance.

"Something needs to change drastically right now. The players need to have a look in the mirror for what they put in. You can talk about tactics... tactics come after the basics."

Questions will grow over whether the Englishman can continue in the dugout in the long term, with a last chance to save the season to come in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley against Leeds United on Sunday.

For much of the match, supporters directed their frustration towards the hierarchy, while also chanting for former owner Roman Abramovich.

However, this was the first occasion where Rosenior himself became the target of supporter anger, amid a growing sense that a sixth managerial change under the Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly ownership group may be approaching.

Chelsea's stance has been that they will back him into next season, with the intention to reserve judgement until the end of the next campaign.

In a rare interview earlier this month, co-owner Behdad Eghbali said: "I think we're behind Liam. Of course, it's a results business - but we think he can be successful long term."

However, two further defeats have worsened the situation and the fans have since turned, making it a more difficult decision to keep Rosenior than make a change.

Read Nizaar Kinsella's full article here

This isn't the first time Chelsea have been in the limelight this season following a manager's comments, though.

Firstly Enzo Maresca made headlines with his "worst 48 hours" outburst, and now Liam Rosenior has slammed his players for an "indefensible" performance.

Chelsea fans, how do you feel about the situation? Who do you feel is to blame for the current issues - the players, the manager, the hierarchy or the owners?

Let us know your thoughts here

We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Premier League game between Brighton and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Brighton fans

Sarah: What a cracker of a game! The first 15 minutes was like watching a well-choreographed ballet - tight passing, forward motion and the great Ferdi Kadioglu goal. The rest of the match didn't disappoint either. The team have really come together cohesively as a side. The best game I've seen this season and certainly the worst from Chelsea. I almost felt sorry for them. If we can hold our nerve, we really are in with a chance of Europe. Just a few short weeks after we were being mentioned in terms of relegation.

Simon: We were super, but never needed to be brilliant. It was like watching a pre-season friendly against Crawley, who would have been better than Chelsea. Just need to keep calm and carry on like this and we can book our flights across Europe again.

Sean: No matter how bad Chelsea were tonight, Brighton were completely dominant - very exciting times!

Jake: A strong performance - surely Kadioglu has to be player of the season?But the turnaround Fabian Hurzeler has managed is quite spectacular considering the chants after the loss to Crystal Palace. A number of Albion fans - myself included - need to eat a big slice of humble pie. And frankly, I'm fine with that as he guides us towards a second European campaign.

Chelsea fans

Dave: Liam Rosenior has to go! He should never have been given the job to begin with. We need a strong manager with a record. These players need leadership and some experience on the field.

Baz: Management pathetic in all departments. The majority of players have no passion or care for the club. Bring in new management and players that care for the club.

Graham: Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez,Moises Caicedo, Estevao, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro will all be talking to their agents in the morning and having the same conversation: "Get me out of here." That was a team that didn't believe in the management, on and off the pitch.

Russell: The worst Chelsea display I've seen in the past 40 years, and that is by far the most expensive side put together. What a complete shambles from top to bottom.

Chelsea and Manchester United are among the clubs keeping tabs on Bournemouth's 22-year-old midfielder Alex Scott. (Caught Offside), external

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Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

At his former club, where he also began his coaching career, Liam Rosenior was met with chants from his own supporters calling for him to leave for the first time

It marked radical new low point in a bleak run of five consecutive league defeats without a goal for Chelsea - their worst such sequence in more than a century and one that few supporters have witnessed in their lifetime.

Given the club's success over the past 25 years, it is perhaps understandable that patience is thin for a head coach appointed just three months ago from Chelsea's partner club, Strasbourg.

There were early signs that the night might not unfold as Rosenior had hoped. Marc Cucurella's barber leaked news that Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro were unavailable through injury - information the head coach had intended to keep under wraps -before it quickly circulated on social media platform X in the mid-morning.

It was the third team-news leak Rosenior has faced this season and the latest in a series of issues that unfolded throughout the match.

Tactically, his decision to switch to a back five - only the second time Chelsea have done so this season - quickly proved ineffective, forcing a change back to his usual system at half-time.

Such was Chelsea's disarray that they conceded after three minutes following a poor clearance from Jorrel Hato. They then went on to concede the second-highest expected goals (xG) total after 20 minutes of any Premier League game this season, while failing to register a shot until the 40th minute.

The introduction of Alejandro Garnacho at the interval brought only marginal improvement before Chelsea were deservedly 2-0 down.

Rosenior cut a lonely figure as Chelsea supporters turned their chants against him, while Brighton fans ironically voiced support for his continued leadership. Matters worsened when Chelsea conceded a late third goal.

They failed to register a shot on target for the first time since February 2025, are enduring their longest run without a clean sheet since the 1996–97 season and, with Ferdi Kadioglu's volley, have now conceded their joint‑highest number of goals from corners - matching the total from the 1995–96 campaign.

This awful form that began in March has carried into April, leaving Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League increasingly remote and even European qualification now in serious doubt.

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, speaking to Match of the Day: "Nowhere near the levels, not even tactical, tackles, duels, intensity, spirit, energy, passion are all lacking and that is the reason we lost."

On when Chelsea's form dropped: "I have my own ideas, I am not here to make excuses. That was unacceptable from everyone involved with me at the head of it. That needs to change.

"It is accountability. I have defended the players at times when it was the correct thing, but I can't defend that performance. It doesn't represent this football club, it doesn't represent anything I ask from the group and that has to change.

"I feel numb, I'm so angry. I always speak on what I see and that was unacceptable. The goals we conceded were unacceptable and that is something I have to hold my hands up to.

"I will look at the team, will look at individuals and I will look at a team I can trust to do the basics of football, and we should not be talking about the basics of football at this level. It is something we have to adjust very quickly.

"Tonight was not [about] tactical. This was about desire, spirit, courage and I did not see enough of that tonight.

"Nowhere near good enough, and we have to improve that."

Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, asked by Sky Sports whether the defeat by Brighton felt like a big step back: "Yeah, it did. We gave it our all. Just not the best side."

On why the opening 20 minutes were so difficult: "I don't know. We obviously had a gameplan. We tried to execute it."

On whether the gameplan or the execution was the issue: "We tried our best. We worked on it throughout the week. Obviously, we got beat today. We've just got to go again. We can't dwell on these moments, we've got to look forward to the next game."

On Chelsea supporters' frustrations: "We can be accountable. As players, we have to be accountable for the performance. We know how much the fans have been behind us, and we know they are disappointed with the results, not winning at the moment. We just have to stick together and pull through."

On whether Brighton were more on it: "I thought personally that the boys were running their socks off. Everyone in the changing room is tired. It's nothing to do with effort. We gave it our all, we just got beat today."

On statistics showing that Brighton ran more and if his team could've given more: "We ran today. You can say the stats this, the stats that, but I can see the boys are tired, and we ran, so I don't know."

On whether there is pressure on the FA Cup semi-final: "We just have to pick ourselves up. We've got a semi-final to come. It's a massive game at Wembley. Us being at another semi-final, we've got to use that as a positive and try to approach the game with a strong mentality, try to pick ourselves up from this defeat and stay positive."

On whether positivity can be found in the dressing room: "We have to stay positive. Negativity is not going to help. Us being negative, us dwelling on the past is not going to help the situation, so we have to [stay positive]. No matter what happens in life, you have to keep going forward and pick ourselves up."

Did you know?

• Chelsea have lost five successive league games without scoring for the first time since November 1912, while their overall five-game losing streak is their longest in the Premier League since November 1993 (a run of 6).

• Across each team's last nine games in the Premier League, only Tottenham (2) have won fewer points than Chelsea (5 – W1 D2 L6).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brighton's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Wednesday for a selection of your replies

Brighton make three changes, including a reward for Georginio Rutter after his late equaliser at Tottenham to start in place of Danny Welbeck up front.

Yasin Ayari and injured Diego Gomez drop out for Kaoru Mitoma and Carlos Baleba.

Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Wieffer, Van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu, Baleba, Hinshelwood, Gross, Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma.

Subs: Steele, Igor Julio, Veltman, Dunk, De Cuyper, Ayari, O'Riley, Welbeck, Kostoulas.

Chelsea make two changes from the defeat at home by Manchester United, drafting in Romeo Lavia and Trevoh Chalobah for injured pair Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian.

The two attackers have hamstring injuries while Joao Pedro is not involved.

The Blues are lining up in a back five for just the second time this season.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato, Cucurella, Fernandez, Lavia, Caicedo, Neto, Delap.

Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Tosin, Sarr, Acheampong, Essugo, Andrey Santos, Garnacho, Guiu, Derry.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Disappointment is morphing into the resentment of having to watch the same movie, with the same depressing ending, time and again at Newcastle United.

This season's plot has to have an uplifting ending, or else the club will lose trust in manager Eddie Howe.

For Chelsea down at Stamford Bridge, the anger of the 'legacy fans' was creeping towards resignation, but the protest before their latest loss to Manchester United has shown there is some fight left with the supporters.

They feel let down by a club spinning towards mid-table mediocrity, after spending a king's ransom, but also feel disregarded by an ownership who appear arrogant and aloof, and do not want to listen to them.

One fan said: "BlueCo have stolen my club." This is harsh, they legally bought it and feel they have the right to do whatever they like with it.

But for many Chelsea fans right now, bought or stolen - the two outcomes feel the same.

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The last time Chelsea lost five consecutive league games without scoring was 1912, when the Titanic sank.

Their season under Liam Rosenior is heading the same way, but it could still be salvaged despite their rotten form.

After losing four in a row, a top-five finish looks unlikely now - but sixth place would get them in the Champions League if Aston Villa finish in the top five and win the Europa League.

They are in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend, too. Rosenior says he feels "100% support" from the club's owners but you can't get away from the fact there are lots of doubts about his future.

This is a huge end to the season for them and there is unrest everywhere - the fans protested about the owners before their defeat by Manchester United on Saturday, because they do not want a youth-development model - they want to be competing again, and winning things.

So they are under pressure and Brighton have their sights set on the top six too - they will go above Chelsea if they win this game, and with three wins and a draw from their past four matches, they are on a much better run.

The Seagulls beat them at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, with a couple of late goals from Danny Welbeck after Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah was sent off.

I have just got a feeling it could be a similar story this time and Brighton are definitely going to get something.

It is hard to make a case for Rosenior's side to win it, other than to think that they have got so much quality in their team that they are going to improve and break this cycle eventually.

I think Chelsea will score this time, but I do not see them keeping a clean sheet.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say

The Observer's Rory Smith says he feels "really sorry" for Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior.

The Blues' recent form has cast spotlight on Rosenior's role and Smith thinks missing out on Champions League football will intensify the pressure.

So what role have the club's owners played in a difficult season?

Hit play above, watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Struggling Chelsea travel to the south coast to face in-form Brighton on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

Welbeck enjoys playing Chelsea

After ruining the spirits of one London club at the weekend, Brighton are looking to repeat the feat against another.

The Seagulls' draw at Tottenham means they are unbeaten in their past four Premier League games. They are top of the form table with five wins in their past seven league matches and have put themselves firmly in the hunt for a European place.

Danny Welbeck has been a big part of Brighton's form with his 12 league goals the joint-highest tally in the top flight by an Englishman (along with Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White).

Welbeck has a good recent record against Chelsea, having been involved in seven goals in eight Premier League appearances against them for Brighton, with five goals and two assists.

Two of those goals came in the reverse fixture, in which Brighton came from behind to win 3-1, with Welbeck sealing victory in stoppage time.

Late goals have been a feature of Brighton's season, with only Liverpool scoring more than the Seagulls in the final 10 minutes of games this campaign. Some of the credit must go to head coach Fabian Hurzeler's tactical adjustments, with substitutes scoring a joint-high 11 goals in 2025-26.

Meanwhile, Hurzeler has never lost a Premier League match against an English manager in nine meetings (W7, D2) against Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe, Gary O'Neil, Graham Potter and Scott Parker.

Chelsea's goal struggles

Liam Rosenior won his first four Premier League matches as Chelsea head coach but defeats in his past four have put him under pressure, even though it is only just over 100 days since his appointment.

"A successful season for this club has to be to qualify for the Champions League," Rosenior said last month but that is looking increasingly unlikely and after Saturday's defeat by Manchester United he said it was now "a mountain to climb".

It's six defeats in seven games in all competitions and the Blues are now in danger of losing five league matches without scoring for the first time since 1912.

Chelsea's xG of 61.75 is the highest in the Premier League, yet their actual goals tally is only 53, suggesting they are making - but not taking - their chances.

However, in defeat to United they struggled to create any meaningful goalscoring opportunities despite having 21 shots, which is their second-highest tally in a league game this season and their xG of 1.55 equated to a paltry 0.07 per shot.

Pedro Neto hasn't scored in the league in 2026 while Liam Delap hasn't scored in his past 20 appearances and Cole Palmer's last goal was at the beginning of March.

Top scorer Joao Pedro missed the United game with a thigh injury but is expected to be fit for the trip to his former club, where the Blues desperately need him to add to his tally of 14 league goals this season.

Chelsea have made contact with the agent of Borussia Dortmund and Germany winger Karim Adeyemi, 24, over a potential deal. (Fussballdaten - in German), external

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