Summary of this article
Blues exited the Champions League with a 8-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of PSG
Rosenior's men came up short at Stamford Bridge with 3-0 defeat
PSG are the current holders of the trophy
So much for being champions of the world.
Chelsea played more like also-rans than world beaters on Tuesday night, losing 3-0 at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the return leg of their Champions League last-16 game for a staggering 8-2 defeat on aggregate.
Chelsea fans proudly displayed a banner reading “Champions of the World” before kickoff on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge. The stark reality painted a different picture.
Chelsea collapsed with late goals last week in a 5-2 loss and imploded with early goals this time, trailing 2-0 inside 15 minutes.
That banner referred to Chelsea’s victory in the Club World Cup final last July, when Chelsea beat PSG 3-0.
Some of the home fans started booing during the first half of Tuesday’s loss and ironically cheered their players when they completed a pass.
The defeat could have been worse, but some Chelsea fans had already seen enough and started to leave after PSG’s third goal in the 62nd minute.
Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior looked on perplexed, chewing his pen or biting his nails as PSG passed his side off the field at will. The Englishman only joined Chelsea in January after leaving French club Strasbourg.
Chelsea hired him after parting company with Enzo Maresca, who won Conference League and Club World Cup trophies.
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Rosenior’s choices
Last week, Rosenior surprisingly selected goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen ahead of Robert Sánchez and it was Jörgensen’s error that led to PSG’s third goal in the 74th minute of that game.
On Tuesday, he reinstated Sánchez and dropped central defender Wesley Fofana, replacing Fofana with 20-year-old center back Mamadou Sarr.
That didn’t work, either, as it was Sarr’s sloppy defending that allowed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to score PSG’s first goal after six minutes.
This was a third straight defeat for Rosenior, whose team is sixth in the Premier League with eight games left. There is still a trophy on offer, however, with Chelsea into the FA Cup quarterfinals.
