2026-01-22 12:09:01
Liam Rosenior was pleased with Chelsea’s persistency as they beat Pafos in the Champions League.
The Blues required a second-half header from Moises Caicedo to earn a 1-0 victory against the Cypriot minnows on Wednesday (21.01.26) and the manager took heart from the way his players plugged away to earn an important three points.
Rosenior, who was managing in the Champions League for the first time, said: “You have to keep banging on the door. You want to get the breakthrough earlier to open up the game. Sometimes you have to keep going, keep knocking on the door, but also you have to keep the back door shut.
“There were things I was pleased with, things to improve on. But the body language of the group, they kept going. I was delighted for Moises to get the goal and get the result we deserved.”
Rosenior reserved special praise for match-winner Caicedo, whose goal means that Chelsea are likely to automatically progress to the last 16 if they win against their former manager Antonio Conte’s Napoli side in their final league phase game next week.
The coach said: “Moises is an outstanding player, a world-class midfield player. We’re always a threat on set plays.
“He’s a top player. When you play against a low block your pivot player can be higher up the pitch. He’s scored a couple from outside the box this season and hopefully he can keep chipping in.
“You always want to score more goals, want to win by bigger margins. But we’re in the top eight, if we win we have a fantastic chance to go through.”
Rosenior stressed that his side won’t be “daunted” by the trip to Naples, with the Italian champions at risk of an early elimination from the tournament themselves.
He said: “I don’t think this club is ever daunted about any fixture. It will be a difficult game. Antonio is an incredible coach. They have to win which changes the dynamic of the game a little bit.”
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