Why Rosenior got involved in heated Chelsea brawl as Arsenal loss ensures manager curse continues

Some moments missed from Chelsea's 3-2 defeat to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final

On Wednesday evening, Liam Rosenior became the seventh consecutive Chelsea head coach/manager to fail to win their first home match in charge of the Blues. The seventh. Maurizio Sarri was the last.

In the end, they came out just short against Arsenal, the Premier League leaders. The Gunners showed their superiority to Chelsea for large chunks of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge. To only be trailing by one goal heading into next month's second leg is not the end of the world for Rosenior and his Blues side. But the challenge at hand is huge.

Arsenal do not lose at the Emirates Stadium - well, they haven't this season, anyway. The Gunners' incredible strength in depth will allow Mikel Arteta to manage his squad between now and February 3. For Chelsea to go and get a win there is difficult, but, crucially, not out of the question just yet.

Stamford Bridge got a bit restless at times on Wednesday evening. Some home supporters were concerned about how the home side were playing out of the back, time and time again, against the best pressing side in the Premier League. Maybe even Europe.

Arteta had his men exactly where he wanted them, especially in the first-half. Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana seemed uncomfortable and too passive when the ball was at their feet. Arsenal sensed a weakness of Chelsea's and latched onto it for what felt like the majority of the first 45 minutes in a rainy west London.

Rosenior said post-match that he is trying to leave his own imprint on his Chelsea team, six days after being appointed as the club's new long-term head coach, and was proud of the bravery they demonstrated in the 41-year-old's first match at Stamford Bridge. "We're playing probably in terms of a pressing team, the best pressing team in Europe today, with their full-strength team," said Rosenior.

"I was proud of the bravery of the players to try and execute certain aspects of what I asked. In six days, we've had two games. I'm not asking for time because I think the group are good enough to win now. But I need to put my stamp on the team as well, otherwise there is no point in me being here. So it is a fine balance and hopefully the fans will see the progression in the team, but we need to win at the same time."

That in itself are why the circumstances are far from ideal for Rosenior. Coming in midway through a campaign with no pre-season to work with his new squad immediately puts him a step or two behind other teams in the Premier League. Rosenior, though, has to try and find a recipe - as hard as it will be - to implement his style, which is similar to Enzo Maresca's, while also picking up positive results.

Rosenior was animated at times during his Stamford Bridge debut but for the most part, the new head coach remained cool; barely celebrating either of Alejandro Garnacho's second-half goals due to the state of the tie. His players, however, were less cool. They are an animated bunch, to say the least.

Chief among them is Enzo Fernandez. The Argentina international, who was impressive for the Blues on Wednesday night, was not happy at full-time with something Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi did, or said perhaps.

The two locked horns shortly after the full-time whistle, squaring up to one another before more players from either side joined in. It turned into a bit of a brawl and Rosenior stepped in to ensure nothing got too out of hand. Rosenior could be seen pulling Fernandez away from Zubimendi. The last thing the newly-appointed Chelsea boss needs is another suspension.

Rosenior will be hoping to have a much deeper squad of players to choose from when Chelsea go to north London for the second leg in less than three weeks' time. The head coach was without Cole Palmer, Malo Gusto and Reece James due to injuries, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens because of illness and Moises Caicedo, who was suspended, on Wednesday.

Palmer is due to train on Friday for the first time this week, around 24 hours before Chelsea welcome Brentford to Stamford Bridge. The 23-year-old had a "minor strain in his thigh", meaning he has missed the last two matches, while James had a "big knock on his hip". Rosenior will be hopeful the Chelsea duo will be available for the visit of the Bees at the weekend.

Caicedo will return to the squad after serving his one-match suspension in the Carabao Cup. Delap and Gittens have been instructed to stay away from Chelsea's Cobham training base while they suffer with illness. Rosenior said: "I want to keep the ill players away from the group so it doesn't spread. It was both of them [with] really high temperatures, dangerously high. Hopefully they can rest up and hopefully they will be okay for Saturday."