Rosenior kicks-off Chelsea stint with thumping victory

Liam Rosenior crouched down inches from the pitch and then exploded, furiously clapping and encouraging Chelsea's Jamie Gittens. It was a glimpse into the manager, the man and what Chelsea can expect, in what was a good start to his reign and a 5-1 victory in the FA Cup third round over Charlton. Those seconds showed Rosenior is prioritising more than tactics as he succeeds Enzo Maresca.

- JACK RATHBORN

Charlton were pinned back, leaving Amari'i Bell and Tyreece Campbell to exchange passes. And Gittens sprinted from one to the other. But just as the winger briefly stopped, Rosenior demanded one more sprint, forcing a clearance and change of possession. Excited by the challenge ahead, it was clear why Rosenior took particular delight in a return to what he described as “proper football”, a cup tie on a cold night at The Valley.

And without Cole Palmer and Reece James, who were both given the night off, he made eight changes to showcase the depth at his disposal. Jorrel Hato, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez got the goals.

But the real intrigue was the manner of the performance and, indeed, a reaction from the visitors after being shaken briefly by the hosts when Miles Leaburn brought the Addicks within a goal.

“We need to improve in that aspect, long throws, wide free-kicks, disappointed to concede,” Rosenior admitted. “But our reaction was superb, we went up a gear, that was really pleasing. Happy with the attitude of the team. Our press was very intense and good, I felt we controlled the game. A lot of real positives and a good start.”