Tag: Chelsea

Manchester City ignited the Premier League title race with a second-half blitz that sealed a 3-0 win against Chelsea as they closed the gap on leaders Arsenal on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s side produced a devastating spell immediately after half-time, with Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi scoring in the space of six minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Jeremy Doku wrapped up a statement victory to ensure City took advantage of Arsenal’s shock 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Second-placed City are now only six points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, setting up a seismic showdown against the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.

Having beaten Arsenal in the League Cup final and thrashed Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, City are hitting form at just the right time.

Their bid for a seventh English title under Guardiola appeared to be fading after successive draws with strugglers West Ham and Nottingham Forest in their previous two league matches.

A disjointed first half against Chelsea suggested City might waste a golden opportunity to pile pressure on Arsenal.

But Guardiola’s half-time team-talk had the desired effect, and City can now target next weekend’s do-or-die visit from Mikel Arteta’s spluttering team.

If City win that blockbuster clash, they will be within three points of Arsenal, who blew substantial leads in the 2023 and 2024 title races, allowing Guardiola’s men to pip them to the trophy.

Arteta said the defeat to Bournemouth was a “punch in the face” and City’s success in west London was another body blow for the Spaniard.

City have won 29 of their 32 league games in the month of April in recent seasons, underlining their ability to thrive when the title pressure mounts.

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After winning their first four league matches following Liam Rosenior’s arrival from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca, Chelsea have won just one of their last seven, losing three in a row to leave the Blues boss facing some difficult questions.

Chelsea, who haven’t beaten City since the 2021 Champions League final, were again without Enzo Fernandez after Rosenior’s controversial decision to drop the Argentine midfielder for hinting he might leave in the summer.

Sixth-placed Chelsea looked subdued without Fernandez, and they trail four points behind Liverpool in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish.

Lacking energy and cohesion in a sloppy start, City were fortunate not to fall behind when Marc Cucurella’s clinical finish was disallowed for a tight offside.

City also let Pedro Neto in far too easily for a stinging strike that forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to save at his near post.

It took City 35 minutes to mount an incisive raid as Bernardo Silva stretched to meet O’Reilly’s cross, but Robert Sanchez made a fine save from the midfielder’s close-range effort.

But City stepped up after the interval, and O’Reilly made the breakthrough in the 51st minute.

Rayan Cherki whipped an in-swinging cross towards O’Reilly, and the City left-back reprised his League Cup final heroics with another clinical header from close range.

Six minutes later, Cherki again showed the creative genius that has won over Guardiola despite some impetuous moments in his first season in Manchester.

The France playmaker glided past a gaggle of Chelsea players on the edge of the area before threading a sublime pass to Guehi, who looked more like a forward than a centre-back as he smashed a perfect strike into the far corner from 12 yards.

Manchester City benefited from Chelsea’s wretched defending for their third goal in the 68th minute. Sanchez rolled the ball to Moises Caicedo even though the Chelsea midfielder was surrounded by three City players, and Doku pounced, racing into the area to drill home as Guardiola celebrated a priceless result.

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Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez will miss Chelsea’s next two matches after he “crossed a line” with comments that cast doubt on his future at Stamford Bridge.

The 25-year-old, linked with Real Madrid, fuelled speculation by telling a podcast he would like to live in the Spanish capital.

Defender Marc Cucurella also spoke openly about “instability” at the club and questioned its recruitment strategy.

Fernandez’s remarks, however, were viewed as the most damaging and the strongest indication yet that he may be considering a move.

After Chelsea’s Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last month, he said he did not know whether he would still be at the club next season.

Head coach Liam Rosenior confirmed Fernandez would not be part of the squad for Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale and next weekend’s Premier League game against Manchester City.

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“I spoke with Enzo about an hour ago,” Rosenior said on Friday. “As a football club, with me as part of the decision, he won’t be available for tomorrow’s game or Manchester City next Sunday.

“It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak that way. I have got no bad words to say about him, but a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build.”

Fernandez joined Chelsea for a then-British record £107 million in 2023 and was named vice-captain the following year. After a challenging start, he has become one of the club’s most influential figures both on and off the pitch.

“Enzo, firstly, as a character, a person and a player, I have the utmost respect,” said Rosenior. “He’s frustrated because he wants us to be successful.

“In terms of the decision, it’s not all about me, or the sporting directors, the ownership, the players; we are aligned in our decision. The door is not closed on Enzo. It’s a sanction. You have to protect the culture and, in terms of that, a line was crossed.”

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Liam Rosenior on Monday demanded an improvement in discipline from his Chelsea players after Pedro Neto became their ninth player to be sent off this season, threatening to drop players who do not show greater control.

Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium means Chelsea have won just two of their past six matches in all competitions.

They are sixth in the Premier League table ahead of Wednesday’s match at fourth-placed Aston Villa, three points behind Liverpool in the battle for Champions League football next season.

Ill-discipline has been costly for Chelsea this season, with Neto the seventh Stamford Bridge player to be shown a red card in the Premier League.

Chelsea boss Rosenior, who replaced Enzo Maresca in the hot seat in January, said Neto had apologised to his teammates after he was dismissed in the 70th minute.

“My job is to create a culture of accountability, where if you make a mistake, it’s OK, you hold your hands up and you make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said the English manager.

“But you have to hold your hands up to the original mistake. If I make the wrong team selection, or I get something wrong, my job is to be accountable, and it’s the same for my players in that moment.”

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Rosenior said Portugal winger Pedro, who will miss this week’s match at Villa Park, had apologised to his teammates.

“I just need to see an improvement in the behaviour now,” he said.

“And it’s not just Pedro. We’ve had bookings. People speak about dissent. We’ve had needless bookings in terms of fouls. If we are to improve and get to where we want to be, we have to make a conscious step now to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The Chelsea boss said there were different approaches to tackling the issue.

“Sometimes it’s not a stick, it’s showing what the value of not having a red card is,” he said. “If you look at our stats, when we have 11 men on the pitch, before my job here and after my job here, our percentage chance of winning goes through the roof.

“So that needs to be motivation in itself, to make sure we stay disciplined in key moments, reacting to setbacks. Sometimes a setback is giving the ball away, sometimes a setback is a referee making a decision you disagree with.

“In that moment you have to react positively and you have to think of the next thing. Those are the things we have to go after in order for our discipline to improve.”

Rosenior added: “You pick players who are showing that improvement. I can’t afford to go through a season every two games or every three games with a red card, it’s just not possible.

“So I need to see improvement in that and I need to adjust my team selection based on who’s showing those capabilities.”

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Chelsea’s chances of Champions League qualification were dented as Burnley snatched a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, while Aston Villa also struck late to salvage a point against Leeds on Saturday.

The Blues climb into the Premier League’s top four only on goal difference after they paid for failing to build on Joao Pedro’s fourth-minute opener.

Chelsea were dominant until Wesley Fofana was sent off with 18 minutes remaining for a second yellow card.

Burnley took full advantage as Zian Flemming headed in from a corner in the 93rd minute to keep their slim hopes of survival alive.

The Clarets edge to within eight points of safety.

Villa defied the odds to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race until recent weeks, but a 1-1 draw continued their poor run at Villa Park.

Anton Stach’s spectacular free-kick from fully 40 yards (37 metres) at an angle caught out Emi Martinez at his near post to give Leeds the advantage.

Daniel Farke’s men have lost just twice in their last 16 games to relieve their fears of being dragged into a battle for survival.

But Tammy Abraham then snatched a point for Villa two minutes from time.

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Five Premier League sides are set to qualify for next season’s Champions League thanks to the strong performance of English sides in European competition this season.

But Liverpool and Manchester United have the chance to close in when they face Nottingham Forest and Everton in the coming days.

James Milner set a new record of 654 Premier League appearances in Brighton’s 2-0 win at Brentford.

The 40-year-old started for the Seagulls as they secured a first win in seven games to ease the pressure on boss Fabian Hurzeler.

Diego Gomez drilled in the opening goal for the visitors after Ferdi Kadioglu’s stunning strike came back off the bar.

Danny Welbeck then pounced on some slack Brentford defending to double Brighton’s lead just before half-time.

Manchester City can close to within two points of leaders Arsenal when they host Newcastle in Saturday’s 2000GMT kick-off.

The Gunners have breathed new life into City’s title challenge with disappointing draws at Brentford and Wolves since Pep Guardiola’s men last played in the Premier League.

Arsenal are in action on Sunday when they travel to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby.

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Arsenal reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semi-final second leg on Tuesday.

Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg, and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium.

It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semi-finals in the 2025 Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 Europa League.

In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22.

City hold a 2-0 lead over Newcastle ahead of Wednesday’s second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, losing in their last three final appearances.

Now they have the chance to end that drought by winning the club’s first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.

That remains the sole silverware won by Arteta since he was hired in December 2019.

“We knew it was going to be a real battle out there. That resilience, that clarity to understand what kind of game we had to play, we did so well,” Arteta said.

“There was a special atmosphere inside our stadium. It makes such a difference. We’ve been waiting a few years to get into this position and we’re certainly going to enjoy it.”

It is shaping up to be a memorable season for Arsenal, who are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and reached the Champions League last 16 by winning all eight of their group matches.

Despite their success, Arsenal have attracted criticism for their reliance on goals from corners and set-pieces.

Arteta launched a passionate defence of Arsenal’s style of play this week, revealing he has a “massive book of people” who feel his side are the “most exciting in Europe”.

Tuesday’s war of attrition will hardly silence Arsenal’s critics, but Arteta won’t care about that after leading his team to Wembley.

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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior had won six of his seven matches in all competitions since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca.

But Rosenior was unable to solve his Arsenal conundrum, with the Gunners handing him the only two defeats of his brief reign.

“Arsenal know they were in a game, over both ties. We dominated the areas we wanted to in the second half, but we didn’t find that quality moment,” Rosenior said.

“It’s painful to lose. We just need to keep making improvements, which I’m seeing from the first leg to the second.”

Without captain Martin Odegaard, sidelined by a muscle problem, and winger Bukayo Saka, who was injured in the pre-match warm-up at Leeds on Saturday, Arsenal weren’t at their best but still ground out the win.

Rosenior’s switch to a three-man central defence allowed Chelsea to stifle Arsenal in a scrappy first half.

The Gunners briefly shook off their shackles as Piero Hincapie’s curler from just inside the area was palmed away by Robert Sanchez.

It rained so heavily in the first half that Rosenior had to take off his soaked glasses to see what was happening.

Squinting through the squall offered Rosenior an alarming view as Malo Gusto’s misjudgement let in Gabriel Martinelli before the Chelsea defender scrambled back to block the shot.

It took 43 minutes for Chelsea to muster a shot on target when Enzo Fernandez’s long-range blast was punched clear by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea needed to push for a goal, and Rosenior sent on Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian after an hour, ditching his back three.

Estevao immediately set up Fernandez for a curler that flashed over, but Chelsea’s threat petered out.

Havertz delivered the knockout blow in the final seconds of stoppage-time, rounding Sanchez to slot into the empty net after Chelsea were caught on the counter.

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Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior said Cole Palmer remains “very happy” at the club despite reports the 23-year-old is homesick in London.

Manchester-born Palmer moved to Stamford Bridge in 2023 from Manchester City and quickly developed into the Blues’ star player during his first two seasons in London.

But Palmer has been beset by injury problems this season which have limited his impact.

“I’ve had numerous conversations with Cole and he seems very happy to be here,” said Rosenior on Friday.

“He’s a huge part of our plans in the long term. He’s an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult moments in their career in terms of injury. It’s not any reflection of his quality.”

Palmer scored from the penalty spot and played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Brentford last weekend.

But the England international was then left out of Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Pafos due to an ongoing groin injury.

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Palmer has returned to training and is in contention to feature in Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace.

But Rosenior suggested he will have to continue to restrict Palmer’s minutes until he is back to full fitness.

“My job, the club’s job, is to get him to a place where he can consistently perform at the level he wants to,” added Rosenior.

“There was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn’t happy, but because he was in pain and couldn’t perform to the level he wanted to for the club.

“He’s a great kid but we have to make sure we look after him in the right way. That’s why I haven’t involved him in the last game.”

Chelsea sit sixth in the Premier League but just two points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool in the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League.

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Liam Rosenior said that his challenge is to carry Chelsea to the “next level” as he prepares to take charge of the Blues for the first time on Saturday.

The 41-year-old has been parachuted into one of the most high-pressure jobs in English football after a successful spell at Strasbourg, who are also run by Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo.

Enzo Maresca left Stamford Bridge on January 1 despite winning two trophies — the Club World Cup and Europa Conference League — during his first season in charge.

But Chelsea have won just one of their past nine Premier League games to slip to eighth in the table and the pressure is on Rosenior to secure Champions League qualification next season via a top-four finish.

“The talent levels I have seen over the last few days — the ability levels are world class,” Rosenior said on the eve of Chelsea’s FA Cup trip to second-tier Charlton.

“The previous coach Enzo has done a good job tactically and it is my job to take it to the next level, and me and my staff are going to work very hard to do that.

“If you are scared or fearful, there is no point being a coach. I am going to work 24 hours a day. I am going to push them to try and be successful.”

Rosenior watched from the stands as Chelsea lost 2-1 at west London neighbours Fulham on Wednesday.

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There were banners and chants amongst the visiting fans at Craven Cottage, lashing out at BlueCo’s running of the club.

Maresca became the fourth permanent manager to depart the club in three and a half years since the American-backed consortium took control of Chelsea.

Rosenior rejected suggestions, though, that he has been hired to toe the line of his superiors.

“I don’t think it is possible to be in this job and not be your own man,” he said.

“I understand, I am not an alien and I know what is being said in the press, but there is no way you can be a manager if you don’t make the decisions for yourself.

“We have had huge success at Strasbourg and I intend to work the same way here.”

Under BlueCo, Chelsea’s model has focused on hoovering up young talent from around the globe.

But amongst Maresca’s complaints was a lack of experience that resulted in inconsistent performances.

Rosenior said that he is confident that the approach can succeed from his time at Strasbourg.

“A club of this stature, the fans want success and they have every right to want success now. My job, to win over the fans, I have to win football games,” he said.

“We’re trying to build things here in a different way. I’m very confident that in time we will show everyone why we have done it in this way.”

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Chelsea confirmed on Tuesday that the little-known Liam Rosenior will be their new head coach on a six-year deal, replacing Enzo Maresca.

The 41-year-old said earlier Tuesday during a farewell press conference at Ligue 1 club Strasbourg that he had “verbally agreed” on the move to Stamford Bridge.

The move was rubber-stamped shortly afterwards.

“I am extremely humbled and honoured to be appointed head coach of Chelsea Football Club,” Rosenior said in a statement on Chelsea’s website.

“This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies.

“My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects these values in every game we play as we continue winning trophies.”

Rosenior has just three years’ experience as a manager and has never coached in the Premier League.

He had been widely touted as the frontrunner to succeed Maresca since the Italian was sacked on Thursday.

Strasbourg and Chelsea are owned by the same consortium, BlueCo.

The former Hull City manager will become Chelsea’s fourth permanent boss since BlueCo took control of the Londoners in 2022.

Rosenior said he had wanted to announce the news himself in Strasbourg because of his deep feelings for the club.

“Everything is agreed, and it will probably go through in the next few hours,” he told reporters.

“I’m here because I care about this club and I felt it was right to answer your questions physically here today before I move on.”

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Liam Rosenior, whose father Leroy was also a player and then a manager, has never faced the kind of media glare that will await him in west London.

“I’m so excited about the future. I cannot lie. My whole life I’ve worked to be a coach,” he said.

“To be presented with this opportunity to manage a world-class football club is something I’ve always dreamed of.

“With that is a mixed emotion of sadness of what I’m leaving behind.”

Rosenior played in the Premier League and Championship. His clubs included Fulham, Reading and Hull City.

He worked as a coach at Derby under Phillip Cocu and Wayne Rooney.

He briefly replaced Rooney on an interim basis in 2022 and later that year took over as manager of Hull in the Championship, England’s second flight.

He was sacked after 18 months and in July 2024 was appointed by Strasbourg, who he guided to seventh place in Ligue 1 last season.

Maresca won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup during his first season at Stamford Bridge.

But tensions emerged in recent weeks and his reign came to an abrupt end on New Year’s Day.

Under-21s coach Calum McFarlane took charge of Chelsea for Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

They travel to London rivals Fulham on Wednesday.

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Enzo Fernandez dealt a massive blow to Premier League title hopes of Manchester City with a 94th-minute equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw for managerless Chelsea at the Etihad.

Tijjani Reijnders had blasted City into a deserved half-time lead, but they lost central defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias to injury in the second half and then blew two points in the dying seconds when Fernandez prodded in at the back post.

A point is only good enough to edge City back above Aston Villa in second on goal difference, and leaves them six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Chelsea were under the caretaker charge of the club’s under-21 coach Calum McFarlane after parting ways with Enzo Maresca on Thursday.

The Blues have won just once in their last eight league games to slip to fifth in the table, but got their reward for a spirited second-half display to close within three points of the top four.

City were able to welcome Rodri back for his first start since early October, and the Spaniard quickly showed why he was crowned the world’s best player before suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in September 2024.

Only wasteful finishing in a 0-0 draw at Sunderland on Thursday cost Pep Guardiola’s men a ninth consecutive win, and they were again guilty of letting their opposition off the hook before the break.

After a sluggish opening 20 minutes, the chances began to flow for the home side as Phil Foden fired just wide before Bernardo Silva curled just over the bar.

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Filip Jorgensen made his first Premier League start of the season in the Chelsea goal due to an injury to Robert Sanchez and produced a brilliant save to tip Erling Haaland’s deflected effort behind.

Haaland was practically wheeling away in celebration moments later when his curling shot crashed off the inside of the post.

City’s pressure finally told three minutes before the break when Reijnders wriggled clear inside the box before blasting a powerful shot past Jorgensen at his near post.

Within seconds of the restart, City nearly threw all their good first-half work away.

An ankle injury to Gvardiol left Manchester City undermanned at the back as Chelsea broke forward, and Pedro Neto spooned over the bar from point-blank range.

Chelsea targeted Gvardiol’s replacement, Abdukodir Khusanov, in their search for an equaliser, and City needed Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep Liam Delap out from a narrow angle.

Donnarumma nearly saved his side again at the death with a remarkable stop from Fernandez, but the Argentine got to the rebound first to tap in.

Numerous City players fell to their knees in disappointment as Arsenal close in on their first league title for 22 years.

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Enzo Maresca has left his role as Chelsea head coach after 18 months in charge, the Premier League club announced Thursday.

“Chelsea Football Club and head coach Enzo Maresca have parted company,” said a club statement.

The Italian’s exit from Stamford Bridge comes with the club fifth in the Premier League table — 15 points adrift of leaders and London rivals Arsenal — with one win in their last seven top-flight games.

Speculation about Maresca’s position increased during Chelsea’s poor run of recent results amid reports of a worsening relationship between the coach and the club’s hierarchy.

“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track,” said the club statement.

Maresca did not attend the post-match press conference following a frantic 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday, although his absence was attributed to illness.

Maresca’s decision to substitute Cole Palmer just after the hour mark during the Bournemouth game was booed by Chelsea fans.

The draw meant Chelsea had dropped 13 points at home from winning positions this season — the bulk of the 15-point deficit between the Blues and Arsenal.

Maresca has stood by comments made on December 13 after a league win at home to Everton when he said many people at Chelsea “didn’t support me and the team”.

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He repeatedly refused to clarify the comments, although he insisted they were not an attack on the club’s supporters.

The 45-year-old said the days leading up to the 2-0 victory over Everton were “the worst 48 hours” of his time at Chelsea.

Maresca’s stock at Chelsea was high after the Blues beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League in November.

But damaging defeats by Leeds, Atalanta and Villa increased the pressure on the Blues boss.

Maresca’s contract had been due to run until the summer of 2029, with a club option of a further year.

The former Leicester manager was appointed as successor to Mauricio Pochettino in June 2024.

Chelsea won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup in 2025 and Maresca also led them back into the Champions League via a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League.

The Blues return to action on Sunday away to Manchester City, the first of nine fixtures across four competitions during a congested January schedule.

Liam Rosenior — the head coach of French club Strasbourg, owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo, a consortium headed up by US billionaire businessman Todd Boehly — is a candidate to replace Maresca even though the Englishman is a relatively young manager at 41 and lacks Premier League experience.

Former Barcelona head coach Xavi, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, Fulham’s Marco Silva and Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola are other potential contenders to succeed Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

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