Chelsea fans make feelings clear as Liam Rosenior call backfires in Fulham loss

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At least Liam Rosenior had a great view of the scale of the job facing him at Chelsea. It is hard to imagine it could have gone any worse for Chelsea which makes you wonder why the new manager would choose to sit in the stands rather than throw himself straight in.

Marc Cucurella was sent off, Chelsea lost at the hands of their neighbours and the fans chanted abuse at joint owner Behdad Eghbali as another new era got off to a bad start. The Chelsea fans were singing: “f*** off Eghbali - you’re not wanted here” at the club’s joint owner who was sat next to Rosenior in the directors’ box at Craven Cottage.

Rosenior left under-21s boss Calum McFarlane in charge again after he oversaw Chelsea’s draw at Manchester City on Sunday. The reasoning was Rosenior did not have enough time to prepare his new players but Thomas Tuchel famously only needed one training session before taking his first game in 2021.

But Rosenior was left cursing at the final whistle as ten-man Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League took another hit. In-form Harry Wilson was Fulham’s hero yet again as the home fans chanted: "Harry Wilson - he's done it again." He is unstoppable right now.

It left Fulham celebrating at the final whistle and Rosenior’s first task must be to improve Chelsea’s disciplinary record because they have found it hard enough to win games with 11 players this season let alone ten. Cucurella’s red card was their fifth in the Premier League this term which is their highest since getting six in 2007/08.

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And make no mistake, Fulham thoroughly deserved their win. They had some nervy moments early on when Bernd Leno looked vulnerable but he played a part in the game’s big flashpoint. Leno punted the ball down field, Wilson scampered clear only to be pulled back by Cucurella.

Referee Peter Bankes had no hesitation in brandishing a red card and only a VAR check spared Chelsea further punishment as it ruled the pull back occurred outside the box. Wilson’s resulting kick was straight into the wall but Chelsea had to change their game plan and, after defender Jorrel Hato replaced midfielder Santos, they hung on.

Emile Smith Rowe saw an effort whistle just over the bar and then Wilson had the ball in the net only for VAR to rule Raul Jimenez was offside in the build-up.

However, the ten men finally conceded ten minutes into the second half when Sander Berge’s brilliant cross was glanced home by Jimenez. It looked pretty ominous for Chelsea. But, in fairness, they battled back. Liam Delap was denied by Leno. But the reprieve did not last long.

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Pedro Neto swung over a corner, Fulham defender Antonee Robinson unwittingly headed against his own post and Delap was able to touch home an equaliser from close range.

The drama was not over. Back came Fulham. Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez made a smart save but the ball fell to Wilson who stepped inside, then arrowed a brilliant low shot into the far corner.

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