New Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior got off to the perfect start as the Blues beat Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the third round of the FA Cup.
Jorrel Hato broke the deadlock at the Valley deep into first-half stoppage time before Tosin Adarabioyo doubles their lead shortly after the interval.
Miles Leaburn got one back for the hosts shortly after, but Chelsea hit back quickly when Marc Guiu scored from close range.
A Pedro Neto strike and Enzo Fernandez penalty in added time secured a comfortable victory for the west London outfit and ensured Rosenior became the club’s first head coach to start with a win since 2016.
Liam Rosenior ‘excited for the future’ following opening Chelsea win
“A good start, professional,” he told TNT Sports. “I thought our first goal came at an important time in the game, it was a brilliant goal for Jorrel [Hato]. The quality of my players was outstanding. Strong start, something to build on and quite a small game on Wednesday night!
“Goals change games and that comes down to quality of players. To get the goal when we did was really good. I’ve got a fantastic squad, I was delighted with the starting players. I thought Marc Guiu was magnificent, he deserved his goal. There are a lot of positives. Strong start but nothing to get too carried away about yet.”
Rosenior praised the Chelsea backline, which has not kept a clean sheet in seven consecutive games.
“I was delighted with Jorrel because it was a different role for him, he played as a 10 like Marc has done in the past and he gets the goal and does really well. I was delighted with Tosin and big Ben [Badiashile] at the back. Young Josh [Acheampong], full of potential, I was delighted with them.”
Rosenior added: “It’s a busy two months. The lads have been really receptive to us and I thank them for that and if we keep working in this way I’m excited for the future.”
