Cucurella shown red card vs Fulham in horror Chelsea start for Rosenior | Football | Sport

New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior watched his team suffer a disastrous start as Marc Cucurella was sent off just 22 minutes in away at Fulham in the club’s first match since his appointment. Under-21s manager Calum McFarlane took the team at Craven Cottage with Rosenior watching on from the sidelines. The Blues had started well with Enzo Fernandez almost scoring from a corner and Andrey Santos hitting the crossbar from another set-piece.

But Cucurella was dismissed after a long ball from Bernd Leno in the Fulham goal put Harry Wilson in on goal, and the Spaniard brought the Welsh winger down as the last man back. Now, when new head coach Rosenior steps on to the sidelines as a Chelsea manager for the first time, he will be without first-choice left-back Cucurella.

The defender will be absent for the Londoners’ next three matches – an FA Cup third-round tie at Charlton Athletic, a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Chelsea and the visit of Brentford to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Rosenior rejected the chance to manage Chelsea away at Fulham. Explaining the decision, he told Sky Sports: “Just travel. But mainly the fact that Calum did such an incredible job against Man City.

“The performance of the players, especially in the second half, the energy, the intensity, the quality that they played with. They’ve supported the lads in a really difficult moment in a really good way.

“I flew over from Strasbourg yesterday morning. It’s a difficult timeframe for me to get in the tactical work that I need to get into to give the lads the best chance to win. I’ve got full faith in Calum and the lads to win the game tonight.”

Rosenior added pre-match of his plans for Chelsea: “Every manager has an idea of how they want to play. That’s what makes you a coach. I have an idea of the way I want to play. It has to suit the players.

“I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been brought to the club. I think my style fits the players perfectly, but you have to be able to adapt. In terms of tactics, formations and systems, that’s not the most important thing.

“The most important thing for me is intensity, running, spirit, quality and you can do that in many different ways in football.”