Chelsea have parted ways with head coach Liam Rosenior following a fifth consecutive Premier League defeat, confirming his dismissal after senior figures at the club held discussions about his future earlier on Wednesday.
The decision came a day after a chastening 3-0 loss at Brighton, a result that further damaged the club’s already precarious hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. Rosenior himself had described the performance as “indefensible” and acknowledged that he needed to identify which players he could trust going forward.
The sequence of five straight league defeats without scoring a single goal was the worst run the club had endured since 1912. The timing of the sacking is particularly striking given that Chelsea are due to face Leeds in an FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, leaving the club to prepare for a major knockout tie without a permanent manager in place.
Rosenior had attempted to take responsibility for the team’s dire form rather than deflect criticism elsewhere. “The buck stops with me,” he said following the Brighton defeat. “I have thick skin and I understand why the fans are frustrated.” Those words proved to be among his last as Chelsea manager.
The club has not yet announced a replacement.
