London is heating up, Rosenior says Arsenal does not respect Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final

JAKARTA - Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior admitted that he lost patience with the Arsenal players for what he considered a lack of respect shown to his team ahead of the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, early morning WIB.

Sky Sports cameras caught the moment when the Blues boss got into a heated altercation with the home team on the pitch at the Emirates Stadium before kickoff, accusing them of encroaching on Chelsea territory.

Teams usually use half a pitch each for warm-ups and Rosenior showed a side of his character that has never been seen during his tenure to rebuke the Gunners for a lack of etiquette.

"When warming up, you have half your pitch and the other team has half their pitch. At that moment. I felt it was not right where they were."

"They are disturbing the warm-up of my players. So, I ask them, maybe in a less polite way, to make sure they stay in their half of the field."

"I'm not here to play around, this is just what I think is right and deserved. There are certain ethics in football."

"I have no problem with anyone at Arsenal. It's just that, at that time, I felt my team was not respected," Rosenior said, as reported by ESPN.

Chelsea then lost 0-1 due to a goal scored in the seventh minute of injury time by their former player, Kai Havertz, which took Arsenal to the Carabao Cup final at Wembley with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

This is not the first time that controversy has arisen regarding heating issues before matches.

Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp often stands on or near the halfway line near where the opposing team warms up and watches closely.

Critics at the time accused him of trying to intimidate the opposition team, but speaking at an event in January last year, he clarified the reason behind the habit.

"Actually I did it to better understand the opposing team. They thought I was doing it to intimidate them," said Klopp.

Chelsea's Carabao Cup defeat was the only setback in Rosenior's first month in charge which has produced three wins from three in the Premier League and a direct passage to the Champions League last 16.

His biggest challenge so far has been dealing with the intense media attention on Cole Palmer. The team's most creative player is not in the best form this season and reports emerged in January 2026 that he was uncomfortable and preferred to return to his hometown, Manchester.

There is also a fitness problem. His playing minutes have been managed carefully after a groin injury that caused him to miss several weeks before Christmas and he has not been able to play consistently.

Rosenior said Palmer and Estevao are ready to play the full 90 minutes when the away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

"We have the best medical team, the best sports science team. We do a lot of tests. We want to make sure these players can play at the level they need to help us win."

"Regarding Cole, there is no timeframe in which he will be perfect in a month or two, it's just game by game."

"He has adapted, he is amazing. He is maturing as a human being. He understands the bigger picture which is his career," Rosenior said.

Striker Jamie Gittens was injured in the 3-2 win against West Ham last week and missed the defeat against Arsenal. Liam Rosenior did not give a timeframe for his recovery.

"Unfortunately, it seems that the recovery will be a little longer. He suffered a tear in the hamstring muscle, which is very unfortunate for him and he will be greatly missed by us."

"I haven't had the chance to work with him for long, but I know about his career and how great he is as a player, so it's a big loss. It's too early to say how long he will be out," said Rosenior.