Charlton 1-5 Chelsea: Liam Rosenior wins first game as Blues boss in FA Cup third-round tie
Match report as Liam Rosenior won his first Chelsea game in charge; Jorrel Hato, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez were on target; Miles Leaburn replied for a spirited Charlton, who could not cause an FA Cup upset
Sunday 11 January 2026 08:17, UK
Liam Rosenior won his first game as Chelsea's new head coach, beating Charlton 5-1 in the FA Cup third round.
In his pre-match press conference, the Blues boss urged fans to judge him on performances and results, and got off to a good start with victory at The Valley.
He opted for a youthful starting XI - as many Premier League teams do at this stage of the competition - and his team saw plenty of the ball and pressure around the Charlton area throughout the first half.
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Addicks goalkeeper Will Mannion - making just his second appearance of the season - was worked too, but Charlton's low block was a clear frustration for a Chelsea XI who love to show off their tricks.
It was going to take a moment of magic to make the breakthrough, and that's exactly what happened in the fourth minute of first-half injury time. A Moises Caicedo cross was cleared kindly into Jorrel Hato's path and his ferocious shot on a tight angle arrowed past the goalkeeper.
Chelsea added another five minutes after the break. Facundo Buonanotte sent in a wicked free-kick, which Tosin Adarabioyo nodded home.
But Charlton were not about to make life easy for Chelsea or Rosenior, and halved the deficit soon after, sending the fans into raptures. It came from a corner, with Lloyd Jones' header rebounding into Miles Leaburn's path. The Addicks academy graduate then fired home from close range.
But The Valley's roar was quietened just after the hour as Chelsea restored their two-goal lead. Alejandro Garnacho - who took boos from the Charlton fans all evening - sped down the pitch before finding Buonanotte. His shot was weak but the parry from Mannion landed directly to Marc Guiu, who slotted home.
Charlton had a late penalty shout turned down as Enzo Fernandez appeared to go through the back of Lloyd Jones, but referee Chris Kavanagh waved away the claims. But after Pedro Neto turned home Chelsea's fourth, the referee did award the Blues a late spot kick.
Estevao was fouled as he tried to round Mannion, and Kavanagh pointed to the spot. With the last kick of the game, Fernandez powered his penalty into the back of the net to book Chelsea's place in Monday's fourth-round draw.
Despite a spirited performance from Charlton, their dismal run in the third round of the competition goes on, now exiting at this stage for a sixth successive season.
Rosenior: A good start
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior to TNT Sports: "A good start. Professional.
"I thought the first goal came at an important time in the game. Charlton stood up really well, they defended in a block which was difficult to break down.
"Jorrel was fantastic. I thought he was really good at Fulham, he deserved to play today. A strong performance from him.
"We scored a goal from a set-piece which always makes you happy. Then we concede, but I've said it from the start, the quality of my players - they're outstanding. Strong start, something to build on, bring on Wednesday night.
"Goals change games, and that comes down to quality. We had control in the first half, but I don't want just control. To get the goal was really good - but when Charlton score they want the second.
"It's a cup tie, and they have to deal with me bringing on Estevao, Enzo Fernandez, Liam Delap, but I was delighted with the starting players. I thought Marc Guiu was good and deserved his goal - Jamie [Gittens] and Ale [Garnacho] were really good on the wings. It's a strong start but nothing to get carried away about yet.
"I was delighted with Jorrel - he actually played as a No 10, he took his goal really well. I was delighted with Tosin and Big Ben [Badiashile] at the back. I could go through the whole team really, but I was delighted with that.
"It's a busy two months, but the last 48 hours I was really pleased. The lads have been really receptive. If we keep working like that I'm excited for the future."
What did we learn from Rosenior's first game?
Analysis from Sky Sports' Charlotte Marsh at The Valley and Noah Langford:
There was perhaps a pinch of salt needed when watching Liam Rosenior's first Chelsea side, with the new head coach having made eight changes from defeat at Fulham for the 5-1 win at Charlton in the FA Cup.
It was notable that Rosenior deployed a back three - often his preferred line-up at Strasbourg - when Chelsea were in possession. Jorrel Hato, filling in for Marc Cucurella at left-back, ventured into an attacking midfield position and was rewarded with a fine goal to open the scoring.
It will be interesting to see if Rosenior persists with the system going forward or whether it's a case of 'sticking to what you know' for the first game out.
With that being said, there certainly appeared to be more emphasis on using wingers than there has been in recent games.
Tosin was spraying passes to both all game, and Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho felt more involved in comparison to games gone by.
There had been times in the early exchanges where cute balls were attempted through the middle to try to find Marc Guiu, but that soon came to an end when it proved ineffective.
But Chelsea certainly weren't afraid to play direct at Charlton, even if it's not the best way to try and beat a low block. Of course, the scoreline might say otherwise, but there was at least a sense of trying to make something happen.
Ultimately, we will have a better idea of where he intends to take this Chelsea team when they face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday - live on Sky Sports - and Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.
A good start from Rosenior but there's plenty left to prove.
Jones disappointed with conceding 'schoolboy' goals
Charlton manager Nathan Jones: "For long periods, we competed really well. My biggest disappointment is just the second and third goals because, late on, they're playing with the flourish and I think the fifth goal isn't a pen, it's a decision.
"The fourth goal, we're a little bit open but the second and third goals kill us really and they're schoolboy, they're poor.
"We can't concede from that type of set play and we do the work and it's just too easy for them to get ahead of.
"The third goal really disappoints me because it's stuff that we work on, we preach to them, we show them, we blow it up, we give them clear pictures about the edge of the box and how we defend counter-attacks and we don't drop in and think that it's a safe haven when we drop all the way into a box when people wait on the edge of the box.
"We've conceded from that in the past and that's the frustration because at the time when we thought 'can we have a rouse in', we do something that costs us the game effectively."
