´I´m excited for the future´ – Rosenior eager to expand on victorious start at Chelsea
Liam Rosenior feels “excited for the future” at Chelsea after a commanding 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic in his debut match as manager. The Blues secured a spot in the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to their impressive display, with goals from Jorrel Hato, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto, and Enzo Fernandez at The Valley.
Consequently, Rosenior becomes the first manager to triumph in his inaugural game at Chelsea since Antonio Conte in August 2016 (2-1 against West Ham). The 5-1 result also signifies Chelsea’s largest victory margin when a new manager has taken charge since Luiz Felipe Scolari guided the team to a 4-0 triumph over Portsmouth in August 2008.
Rosenior finds the quality displayed by his players already noteworthy, and he is eager to build on this foundation as they move forward.
“A great start, professional,” he shared with TNT Sports. “I believed our first goal arrived at a crucial moment in the match; it was a fantastic goal from Jorrel. The quality exhibited by my players was exceptional. A strong beginning, something to continue building on and a relatively small game on Wednesday night (the EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal)!”
“Goals can shift matches, and that ties into the caliber of players. Scoring at that moment was really encouraging. I have a wonderful squad; I was thrilled with the players who started.
“I thought Marc Guiu was outstanding; he earned his goal. Many positives emerged. Strong start, yet nothing to become overly excited about at this stage.
“We have a busy two months ahead. The players have been incredibly open to us, and I’m grateful for that, and if we maintain this effort, I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Chelsea has achieved progression to the FA Cup fourth round in 27 of the last 28 seasons, with the lone exception occurring during 2022-23 when they were knocked out by Manchester City in the third round.
Hato (19 years 309 days) is now Chelsea’s youngest FA Cup goalscorer since Callum Hudson-Odoi in January 2020 (19y 59d against Nottingham Forest). The Dutchman also scored his maiden goal for the club during his 12th appearance across all competitions and expressed his astonishment at seeing it find the back of the net.
“I was genuinely taken aback that I struck it, which is why I didn’t celebrate it, but I’m very pleased with my first goal for Chelsea, and it’s a nice way to do it. I knew it crossed the line,” he stated in an interview with TNT Sports.
When asked how it felt to play under Rosenior, he remarked: “He has his own style of playing football, and I believe it is effective and suits us well.
“We held numerous discussions with him to clarify his playing style since the time was limited, and I think we demonstrated what he desired.”
Published: 2026-01-10 23:30:00
source: www.soccernews.com
