Chelsea’s head coach, Liam Rosenior, said he was “accountable” for Robert Sanchez’s mistakes after defending his goalkeeper following Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat by Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues fell behind early after Sanchez failed to deal with Declan Rice’s seventh-minute corner, allowing Ben White to bundle the ball into the net from close range.
Arsenal doubled their advantage shortly after the break when White’s low cross squirmed through the grasp of the Spain international, with Viktor Gyokeres on hand to finish from a few yards out.
Martin Zubimendi added a third for the visitors to put Mikel Arteta’s side firmly in control of the tie, but Chelsea were given renewed hope by substitute Alejandro Garnacho, who struck twice to reduce the deficit ahead of the return leg at the Emirates Stadium.
According to BBC Sport on Thursday, Rosenior, taking charge of his first home match as Chelsea head coach, was quick to shield Sanchez from criticism and insisted the goalkeeper was adapting to new tactical demands.
“It’s a team goal, it’s not just on Rob, I’m asking Rob to do things that he hasn’t done before. I said to him before the game, and I made this really clear, when my players make mistakes, I’m accountable. That’s on me.
“He made a save in the second half that was absolutely world-class. That could have put us out of the tie. He will improve in terms of his understanding,” he added.
The Chelsea manager also revealed his squad had been affected by injury and illness in the build-up to the match, limiting his preparation time since taking over.
“That’s Rob’s first game with me, I’ve had two days’ work with him.
“I have to put my imprint on the team. That’s why I’m here,” he averred.
