Rosenior hails team spirit despite Chelsea loss to Arsenal in EFL Cup

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has praised his team for their engagement and energy in the 3-2 loss to Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

The Blues faced up against their familiar Premier League rivals in the EFL Cup semi-finals, with three Gunners goals countered by an Alejandro Garnacho brace from the bench.

Although they lost, Rosenior’s men are still in the tie heading back to the Emirates next week for the second leg.

Speaking after the match, the new head coach said: “It’s half-time [in the tie]. I was very happy with the engagement, the commitment of the players. They gave everything.

“It was every open game. Disappointed to concede from a corner. Disappointed with the third goal as well because we were right back in the game and we were on top at that moment.

“We switched off from a restart from a central free kick but I can’t fault the players. We’ve had illness in the squad, we’ve picked up a few knocks this week but what the squad has shown that they are willing to run and fight for each other.

“We need to make sure i we perform well individually we don’t concede as many goals.”

Robert Sanchez was at fault for Arsenal’s second goal, but was defended by his manager.

“Rob’s a very good goalkeeper. He made an outstanding save at 3-1 to keep us in the tie, so for me load of things to improve but the overall attitude of the team I liked. Hopefully, we get a few bodies back for Brentford on Saturday.”

On Garnacho, Rosenior added: “I said he would be important off the bench and he proved that today. I’ve got an outstanding squad. What I need them to do is be engaged whether they start the game or whether they come off the bench. Garna showed his quality. I think Pedro Neto was magnificent. Estevao was outstanding as well.