Chelsea head coach, Liam Rosenior has accused Arsenal of showing a lack of respect during the warm-up ahead of their Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Rosenior was visibly furious before kick-off and was caught on Sky Sports cameras confronting members of the Arsenal camp, shouting: “That’s your half – that’s your ******* half. ******* stay there.” Chelsea later crashed out of the competition, losing 4-2 on aggregate.
Broadcast footage showed a member of Arsenal’s coaching staff entering Chelsea’s half of the pitch during the warm-up, a situation Rosenior admitted disrupted his team’s preparations.
Speaking on Thursday via Sky Sports, the Chelsea boss made it clear that his frustration was not directed at Arsenal’s players but at what he described as a breach of football etiquette.
“It wasn’t the players,” Rosenior said. “I’m respectful. When you warm up, you have your half and the other team has theirs. I’ve never asked my team or my coaches to encroach on the opposition’s territory.”
He explained that Arsenal’s actions interfered with Chelsea’s routine. “In that moment, I didn’t think it was right where they were operating. They were affecting my lads’ and staff’s warm-up. I asked them, maybe not politely, to stay in their half.”
Rosenior insisted there was no attempt at psychological gamesmanship, stressing that his reaction was purely about respect. “I’m not here for mind games. It’s just about what I think is right. There are certain etiquettes in football, and I always try to be as respectful as possible.”
Despite the incident, Rosenior played down any lingering issues with Arsenal, praising their manager in the process. “I don’t have any problem with anyone at Arsenal. They have a fantastic manager. Mikel Arteta is someone I have a lot of respect for.”
He concluded by reiterating his point: “It was just that, in that moment, I didn’t feel that respect was shown to my team.”