Liam Rosenior’s tenure as Chelsea head coach began with a commanding 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round, but the emphatic scoreline did little to quell the mutinous mood among the club’s travelling support.
A Win Overshadowed by Discontent
The uneasy atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was transported to The Valley, where chants for former owner Roman Abramovich rang out within the first minute. The dissent quickly turned towards the current regime, with fans directing venom at Clearlake Capital, the private equity firm which, alongside Todd Boehly, purchased Chelsea in 2022. This vocal opposition persisted throughout the match, underscoring the deep-seated dissatisfaction that a straightforward cup win could not erase.
Rosenior, the club’s fifth permanent head coach under this ownership, saw his rotated side deliver a controlled and clinical performance. With a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal looming on Wednesday, key figures like Cole Palmer and Reece James were rested. Facundo Buonanotte, Jamie Gittens, and Marc Guiu were given rare starts in attack.
Controlled Performance Seals Progression
Despite Charlton’s limited threat—they sit just five points above the Championship relegation zone—Chelsea took time to break the deadlock. They dominated possession in Rosenior’s preferred system, with Jorrel Hato and Josh Acheampong forcing saves from Charlton goalkeeper Will Mannion.
The breakthrough finally came in first-half stoppage time. 19-year-old left-back Jorrel Hato, deputising for the suspended Marc Cucurella, rammed home a loose ball to give Chelsea a deserved lead. The goal seemed to settle any nerves, and the visitors pulled away after the break.
Tosin Adarabioyo made it 2-0 with a neat near-post header from a Buonanotte free-kick. Although Miles Leaburn capitalised on poor marking from a corner to pull one back for Charlton in the 57th minute, Chelsea’s response was immediate and decisive.
Sparkling Cameos Cannot Sway Opinion
Marc Guiu restored the two-goal cushion by turning in a rebound for his second goal of the season. Substitute Pedro Neto then drove in a fourth, before the highly-rated Estevão Willian came off the bench to deliver a dazzling cameo. The Brazilian winger won a late penalty, which fellow substitute Enzo Fernández converted for the fifth and final goal.
Yet, even the exciting glimpses of talent from Estevão and others did little to shift the prevailing narrative. The fanbase remains united in its scepticism towards a project now almost four years old, a sentiment hardened by the messy departure of previous coach Enzo Maresca. Rosenior, who signed a six-and-a-half-year deal after an unusual mid-season move from sister club Strasbourg, has already had to deny being a mere puppet for the ownership.
While the result efficiently booked Chelsea’s place in the FA Cup fourth round, the loud and persistent protests confirmed that the real battle for Rosenior and the hierarchy is not on the pitch, but in winning over a disillusioned fanbase.
