Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has accused Arsenal of showing a lack of respect after a member of their staff encroached on Chelsea's half during the warm-up before the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Television cameras captured Rosenior losing his temper and directing a foul-mouthed outburst at an unidentified Arsenal staff member who had strayed into Chelsea's side of the pitch. The incident occurred before Arsenal secured a 4-2 aggregate victory with a late Kai Havertz goal.
Rosenior, 41, explained his reaction on Thursday, stating there are 'certain etiquettes in football' that should be observed. 'It wasn't the players. I'm respectful. When you warm up, you have your half, the other team have their half,' he said. 'I've never asked my team or my coaches to encroach on the opposition's territory. In that moment, I didn't think it was right where they were operating.'
The Chelsea boss added that the encroachment affected his players' and staff's warm-up. 'So I asked them, maybe not politely, to make sure they stay in their half. I'm not here to have mind games. It's just what I think is right and respectful.'
Regarding team news, Rosenior confirmed that Cole Palmer is ready to play a full 90 minutes in Saturday's Premier League match against Wolves. However, it remains unclear whether Pedro Neto and Reece James will return from minor knocks, while Jamie Gittens is sidelined with a torn hamstring.
