LIAM ROSENIOR had a moment to forget during Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal as he miserably failed to control a ball out of the air.
The Blues head coach saw his side take the lion’s share of shots and possession during the second leg of their League Cup semi-final at the Emirates.
However, ex-Chelsea star Kai Havertz climbed off the bench to score an injury-time clincher to round off a thoroughly professional performance from the Gunners and dump his old side out 4-2 on aggregate.
Following the game, Rosenior insisted he made the right tactical calls by starting out with a back five before bringing potential game-changers on with the likes of Cole Palmer, Estevao and Alejandro Garnacho.
As Chelsea threw bodies forward in the second half, it meant more work for Arsenal‘s defensive unit, including Gabriel Magalhaes.
And during one hilarious moment the Brazilian defender managed to clear the ball away from the penalty area, with the ball going straight towards Rosenior’s technical area.
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Like many managers before him, the 41-year-old attempted to show off his skills by controlling the ball even without his football boots on.
But the former Hull and Strasbourg boss made a meal of it and the ball ballooned off his leg and into the advertising hoarding next to the dugouts.
An ironic cheer went up from the Emirates at that moment while fans on social media found it hilarious.
One fan said: “Liam Rosenior failing to control that ball has just lost him all his Aura points.”
A second said: “Aura loss.”
A third added: “I’ve never seen a coach fumble an aura farm moment in my life.”
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Another said: “Negative aura manager.”
Ex-Arsenal star and boyhood Blues fan Paul Merson blasted Rosenior tactics which led to Chelsea going out with a “whimper”.
Rosenior hit back at the criticism following the game, saying: “I’ve been a pundit. It’s easy. It’s easy in hindsight.
“If I go and attack the game, press really high and we can see two goals early, everyone says, ‘what’s he doing?’
“That’s the reality of my job. The reality of my job is if you lose games, you’ll be criticised. If you win, you’re a genius. It’s normally somewhere in between.
“We’ve had a lot to contend with the last couple of days, a couple of fitness tests this morning. I named the team this afternoon when I had the full details of who was available.
“I have to give the players so much credit. Our schedule has been incredible. So for them, to put in the energy, the fight, the spirit was there.”
Victory put Arsenal into their first League Cup final since 2018, when they were defeated 3-0 by Manchester City – who will be their opponent once again if they can see out their own first-leg advantage over Newcastle.
Chelsea ratings vs Arsenal: Fofana and Chalobah solid in defence but Delap fails to take chance in Arsenal clash
CHELSEA were beaten 1-0 at the Emirates as Arsenal booked their place in the League Cup final.
Liam Rosenior‘s side went into the semi-final second leg trailing 3-2 from the first encounter at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues huffed and puffed in their pursuit of a leveller on the night.
But when they threw everyone forward in stoppage time, Blues old boy Kai Havertz came back to haunt them by netting on the counter.
SunSport’s Jack Rosser has rated and slated the Blues players…
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