"Right now, we are still in the race for the top five and can win the FA Cup. I have to change it now. I need to change it now - that's why I'm here" Liam Rosenior

Manchester City scored all three goals in the second half (Nico O'Reilly, Marc Guehi, and Jeremy Doku) after a relatively even first half where Chelsea had a Cucurella goal disallowed for offside. City dominated after the break, exposing Chelsea's issues with resilience, physicality, and quick concessions.

LIAM ROSENIOR POST-MATCH INTERVIEW

### On the overall performance and game of two halves:

"Massively disappointing. City started the second half better, that can happen, but what we can't do is concede two quick goals one after another. We need more resilience in difficult moments."

"In the second half, the performance was nowhere near what we wanted. There was no frustration with the first-half, we were organised and very difficult to break down. Cucu's goal, it's an inch, I still don't know how close it is but they've made the decision. The reality now is there's too many times we go a goal down and it's quickly followed by another and that can't happen."

### On frustration and mentality issues:

"Right now, we are still in the race for the top five and can win the FA Cup. I have to change it now. I need to change it now - that's why I'm here. It's happened too many times where we've been in games with top teams."

### On physicality and summer plans (your quoted line):

**"We've had, even over the last week, very detailed conversations about what we need to look like after the summer window."** (in response to a question about physicality being an issue that needs addressing in the summer).

### On short-term success and time at the club:

"I need to win in this moment, this is a huge football club. When I first came, I never asked for a lot of time because I understand the traditions and history of this club. Even someone as experienced as Pep, or Klopp, they had a year to sort things out. I came in January. It's not an excuse, it's the reality."

### On whether Enzo Fernandez could have made a difference:

"Possibly. Hindsight, you see 20-20. Enzo is a top player and a top character and I'm looking forward to having him back next week. Sometimes you make a decision for the long term and not the short. It was a long-term decision that we were all aligned in making."

### Additional context from Rosenior's comments:

- He acknowledged the second-half collapse and the need for better resilience when leading or trailing against top sides.

- Emphasis on immediate results while building for the future, with ongoing internal discussions about squad evolution post-summer window (focusing on character, emotional stability, and physical attributes in recruitment).

- Chelsea remain in the top-five race (for Champions League qualification) and have the FA Cup as another avenue.

This was a tough result for Rosenior's side against a strong City team pushing for the title, highlighting recurring issues in high-stakes games despite a solid first-half showing. Rosenior stayed measured, owning the need for quick improvements while pointing to longer-term squad planning.