Liam Rosenior has been told that his Chelsea tactics against Arsenal left one player in tears.
The Blues fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday as Arsenal ran out 4-2 winners on aggregate after two semi-final legs to reach the Carabao Cup final.
The much-anticipated showdown in north London ended up being a drab affair, with Chelsea showing a distinct lack of urgency despite needing to score at least once.
In the end, it was former Blues star Kai Havertz who settled the tie with almost the last kick of the game as Chelsea's five-game winning streak came to a dour end.
Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana was seen crying at full-time, and Blues fan - and former Arsenal player - Paul Merson claimed it was Rosenior's tactics which prompted the tears.
Merson said on Sky Sports: "You see Fofana there. He played well but he’s crying.
"As a player he’ll be in the dressing room and think you didn’t give it a go. We just got beaten and we didn’t give it a go."
Chelsea started the game in a back three before Rosenior shifted to a more attacking formation in the second half, but produced just one shot on target and accumulated an xG of 0.52.
Trevoh Chalobah confirmed after the game that Rosenior's instructions were for Chelsea to take their time in search of a breakthrough, and insisted the approached work despite the defeat.
He told Sky Sports: "For us, we just go into the game knowing what the manager wanted. In terms of, there’s no rush, we have a full 90 minutes to try and get into the game.
"We came in no rush, no pressure. I thought the boys done well, stuck to the gameplan, were pushing towards the end but it didn’t work out. We have to keep our heads up and don’t allow this to affect us, and keep up our good form.
Asked if the tactics worked, Chalobah replied: "I think most definitely."
