Liam Rosenior has three big problems at Chelsea as fans rage with X-rated chant

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is fighting a losing battle to keep his job following the thrashing at Brighton

Liam Rosenior's tenure as Chelsea boss hit an alarming new low as they were hammered 3-0 at Brighton.

A rampant Seagulls side, who have been repeatedly raided by Chelsea for talent in recent years, leapfrogged the Blues into sixth place courtesy of goals from Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and substitute Danny Welbeck.

Chelsea, whose hopes of Champions League qualification are now virtually extinguished, are at serious risk of missing out on European football entirely after enduring five successive league defeats without finding the net for the first time since 1912 — the year the Titanic sank. The Blues remain seven points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, having now played a game more.

Just three months into his tenure, the former Derby and Hull boss could become yet another manager chewed up and spat out by the Chelsea machine. Here are three moments that have hastened Rosenior's likely downfall...

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Losing the dressing room

Rosenior abandoned his customary approach of shielding his players following the humiliation at the Amex, accusing them of lacking pride and urging them to take a long, hard look at themselves. He fumed: "In the basics, in the pride that you should have in wearing the shirt, that was unacceptable.

"I've defended the players and I am accountable. I've always said that. After tonight, I think the players as well need to have a look in the mirror for what they put in.

"You can talk about tactics, tactics come after the basics. Having more courage to play, winning duels, winning headers, tackles, conceding terrible goals. That was an unacceptable performance tonight."

Such an approach might work if your surname is Mourinho, Conte or Tuchel, but it's debatable whether this strategy from a novice Premier League manager will achieve the intended outcome or simply accelerate his downfall.

Player disagreement

It's becoming increasingly evident that Rosenior and his squad aren't aligned. The head coach suggested that only "three or four of the starting 11" demonstrated the necessary commitment. He said: "Chelsea represents fight and spirit and determination. That was lacking in every department this evening."

The statistics would back up Rosenior's scathing assessment, with Chelsea covering less distance per match than any other Premier League team this season. Yet, following the Brighton fixture, Trevoh Chalobah maintained there was no shortage of effort from the players, though his defence of the display was hardly persuasive.

He said: "We gave our all. Just not the better side. I don't know. We obviously had a game plan. We tried to execute it and... We tried our best. We worked on it throughout the week and obviously we got beat today."

Chalobah added: "We know how much the fans have been behind us and we know they're disappointed. I think personally the boys were running their socks off."

Lost the fans

Rosenior has certainly lost the supporters. Blues fans had previously been directing their frustration at the club's ownership.

However, at Brighton, Rosenior became the focus of their anger, with chants of "f*** off Rosenior" echoing from the away end. There were also chants of "we want our Chelsea back."

Should he be granted one more match, the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds, the murmurs of dissent could be amplified on a far grander stage. Defeat to Leeds would almost certainly spell the end of his turbulent tenure.