Boring, Boring Chelsea! Rosenior slammed for tactics that left one player in tears after Arsenal defeat

Chelsea put in a disappointing, tepid performance as they lost 1-0 to Arsenal in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal (4-2 on aggregate).

Pundit Paul Merson has suggested that manager Liam Rosenior's tactical approach against Arsenal was so passive it left defender Wesley Fofana in tears at the final whistle.

Despite needing at least one goal to stay in the tie, Chelsea appeared to lack urgency for much of the contest.

The decisive moment came late in the game when former Chelsea player Kai Havertz scored, sealing Arsenal's place in the final and ending the Blues' five-match winning streak.

After the final whistle, Fofana was visibly emotional, and Merson, a former Arsenal player and self-professed Chelsea fan, attributed the defender's reaction to the team's cautious strategy.

"You see Fofana there. He played well, but he’s crying," Merson commented on Sky Sports.

"As a player, he’ll be in the dressing room and think, 'We didn’t give it a go.' We just got beaten and we didn’t give it a go."

Chelsea began the match with a back-three formation before Rosenior switched to a more offensive setup in the second half. However, the change yielded little, as the team managed only a single shot on target and an expected goals (xG) value of just 0.52.

Following the match, defender Trevoh Chalobah defended the manager's instructions, confirming the plan was to remain patient and not rush their attack.

"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," Chalobah explained to Sky Sports.

"We came in no rush, no pressure. I thought the boys did well, stuck to the gameplan, were pushing towards the end but it didn’t work out," he added. "We have to keep our heads up and don’t allow this to affect us, and keep up our good form."

When asked directly if the tactics had been effective despite the loss, Chalobah insisted they were, replying: "I think most definitely."